ARK AG SUES MED SUPPLIER— Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge says her office is suing a Virginia-based medical supplier for nearly $11 million dollars for failing to deliver supplies during the coronavirus pandemic. In a press conference yesterday, Rutledge said the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences had made purchases that it never received.
According to Rutledge's lawsuit Med-Care Healthlink LLC of Suffolk, Virginia and its representatives failed to deliver Personal Protection Equipment, such as gowns, face shields, and ventilators ordered in March and April 2020 just as the Coronavirus Pandemic was in its early stages.
"Unfortunately both UAMS and the Department of Finance and Administration made very large purchases from unscrupulous characters,” Rutledge said.
When the much-needed equipment wasn’t delivered, the company told UAMS officials at various times the supplies were held up in China or were bought by another entity and delivered to other states. As to what happened to the millions paid to the supplier?
"All of that money, over $10 million dollars had already been spent and has yet to be returned to the state of Arkansas," Rutledge explained.
Rutledge added that her office is working to recoup the money spent and that fines are possible. She also said there are other states investigating similar occurrences and her office is keeping track of those investigations as well.
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