BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The main whistle-blower in the accounting fraud at HealthSouth Corp. got the longest sentence so far in the case, while another former executive received probation on Thursday.
U.S. District Judge Robert Propst sentenced former finance chief Weston Smith to 27 months in prison, ordered him to pay $1.5 million in forfeited assets and spend one year on probation after his release.
The judge acknowledged the wide range of sentences that have been imposed in the HealthSouth case, and almost invited an appeal to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta.
Defense lawyer Bill Baxley said he would have to talk to Smith before deciding whether to appeal. Smith sat quietly at the defense table, and cried when the judge sentenced him to prison.
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