McKinsey, the consulting firm, will pay $650 million to resolve a US opioid criminal inquiry

McKinsey & Company has agreed to pay $650 million to settle a US Justice Department probe into the consultancy firm’s work advising OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma on how to improve sales.

McKinsey entered a five-year deferred prosecution deal in federal court in Abingdon, Virginia, to resolve criminal charges brought as part of the most recent corporate case involving the marketing of addictive medicines, which contributed to the United States’ fatal opioid epidemic.

Martin Elling, a former McKinsey senior partner, has also consented to plead guilty to obstruction of justice for destroying records relating to McKinsey’s work for Purdue, according to court documents. He is set to make his guilty plea on January 10.

According to court filings, Elling removed documents relating to his job for Purdue from his company laptop while sending himself e-mail reminders.

“We deeply regret our prior client service to Purdue Pharma and the actions of a former partner who deleted documents related to his work for that client,” McKinsey said in a statement.