JUST UNSEALED: 2006 Dept of Justice memo that recommended CRIMINAL charges against PURDUE PHARMA

In PHARMA, I wrote:

"Under Justice Department regulations, (U.S. Attorney) Brownlee’s superiors in Washington had to sign off on his case. He forwarded it to headquarters in 2006. The Criminal Division career prosecutors who reviewed it recommended the most serious charges. One reason for their confidence was a confidential Department of Justice memorandum prepared by Brownlee’s team that determined that senior Purdue executives were aware of OxyContin’s abuse problems within months of its 1996 on-sale date, not five years later as they claimed."

The six-page October 6, 2006 Department of Justice memorandum that recommended that top Purdue executives be charged with an array of felony charges - conspiracy, money laundering and wire and mail fraud -  is at last public. Two U.S. Senators have requested since 2019 that the DOJ make the document public.

Also in PHARMA, I reported that the DOJ ultimately decided to ignore the recommendations for criminal prosecution. 

"In early summer, Brownle…