Brothers in Miami fraud case to be sentenced

MIAMI (AP) -- Two brothers who ran a medical supply company in Miami are being sentenced on fraud and tax conspiracy charges.

A sentencing hearing for Carlos and Jorge de Cespedes is set to begin Monday. The pair have admitted in court that their company, The Pharmed Group, used former employees at Kendall Regional Medical Center to place millions of dollars in fake medical supply orders.

The brothers have asked that their prison terms be limited to four years or less, because they took a plea deal and because of their charitable and civic contributions.

Pharmed was once one of the nation's biggest Hispanic-owned companies. It filed for bankruptcy in 2007.

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