Walter Reed prosthetics chief allegedly took sports tickets
If convicted, David Laufer faces up to 5 years in prison for each count
Engineers at the Bionic Engineering Lab at the University of Utah are creating new tech that may make traditional prosthetics a thing of the past.
A federal grand jury has indicted the former chief of prosthetics and orthotics at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
Court records show David Laufer pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to five counts of making a false statement. The office of the U.S. Attorney in Maryland said Wednesday that the 63-year-old Pittsburgh resident failed to report financial benefits, including travel and tickets to sporting events, he received from an unidentified company that supplied prosthetics and orthotics materials to the hospital in Bethesda.
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland (Oliver Contreras/Pool via Bloomberg)
Authorities say Laufer was the facility’s chief of prosthetics until May and was required to disclose to the government outside income sources greater than $200, travel-related reimbursements or other gifts worth more than $350.
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The charging document alleges that the owner of the company based in Germantown regularly interacted with Laufer about its business with the hospital. It also alleges Laufer falsely told federal agents that he had never received money or gifts from his department’s vendors.
Laufer’s public defender could not be reached for comment as the attorney’s name is not listed in court records.
If convicted, Laufer faces up to five years in prison for each count of making a false statement.