A 50-year-old Richardson man died this week in the custody of the U.S. Marshals, hours after a federal jury convicted him of taking part in an elaborate, multimillion-dollar fraud scheme that involved selling bogus MRI equipment to a North Texas hospital.

Suresh Mitta, who also went by Suresh Reddy and Mitta Suresh, had been found guilty Tuesday in Missouri of a single count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a case that victimized Dallas Medical Center, a Farmers Branch community hospital.

While in a cell with other prisoners in Jackson County, Mo., Mitta suffered what law enforcement authorities said looked like a seizure. An ambulance was called and Mitta was taken to a local hospital, where he died.

"Within a couple of hours of coming into custody, he had passed," said Chief Deputy Scott Seeling of the U.S. Marshals' office, who said there was no "obvious sign" of trauma to his body.

The death marks the last twist in a case that involved perjured testimony, doctored trial exhibits, a manipulated multimillion-dollar civil verdict, the use of fake people with fake email accounts, impersonated workers, fake business documents and a phalanx of over 70 entities with more than 50 bank accounts, according to a statement from the U.S. attorney's office for the Western District of Missouri.

Mitta, who was indicted in federal court Nov. 16, 2016, was the chief technology officer for several entities owned and operated by Albert Davis, 57, also of Richardson. In a separate case, Davis pleaded guilty to leading the conspiracy.

The conspirators "engaged in a scheme to use [the] reputation and standing in the medical field" of Cerner Corp., a Missouri-based health-care technology company, to "manipulate business transactions and court proceedings in their favor," according to U.S. attorney's office. Multiple victims suffered millions of dollars in losses from August 2008 to February 2015.

Attorneys for Mitta could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Davis, who was sentenced in April 2017 to 12 years in federal prison, also was ordered to pay $19.15 million in restitution to victims in the case.

Four additional co-conspirators in separate cases also have pleaded guilty and been sentenced.

To create the illusion that the defendants were associated with Cerner Corp., the conspirators created a business entity for a similarly-named company, Cerner, LLC.

Conspirators opened a bank account, registered an internet domain and leased virtual office space in Kansas City, Mo. — all using the Cerner name.

They created fictitious employees from Cerner Corp. — including both fictitious identities and impersonating actual employees — to communicate with others. Conspirators fabricated documents, price quotes, agreements and invoices, which were all made to appear to be authentic Cerner Corp. documents when they were not, the U.S. attorney said.

Conspirators impersonated Cerner Corp. in the fraudulent sale of a purported newly developed MRI system to Dallas Medical Center. The hospital paid over $1 million to what it believed was Cerner Corp. but turned out to be nothing more than one of Davis' shell companies.

Dallas Medical Center said in a statement it was "thankful to the U.S. Attorney's Office for seeking resolution in this matter and that Dallas Medical Center was able to aid in stopping the individuals involved from defrauding others."

Evidence introduced during the trial indicated that Mitta falsely represented himself as Cerner's senior physicist in meetings with the president of DMC and its attorneys.

When DMC was not acting quickly enough on the deal, conspirators created fake email accounts for prominent cardiologists in Dallas. Conspirators then used the fake accounts to draft emails, which stated that these cardiologists could not wait to get the MRI system at DMC.

Conspirators then forwarded these emails to DMC, which created the impression of demand for the system at DMC, the U.S. attorney said. Conspirators also provided "references" for DMC to check, which turned out to be more fake doctors and co-conspirators playing the role of satisfied business partners.

Dallas Medical Center eventually learned of the fraud, but it was not the only victim, according to authorities.

In another example, conspirators brought a lawsuit against a Korean company called ISOL Technology. After testifying falsely about business dealings with Cerner Corp. and offering fake exhibits to support his claim of damages, conspirators received a jury award of $24 million in the 2014 trial. When the fraud was discovered, attorneys for ISOL Technology filed an emergency motion for sanctions against Davis' company.

In the most recent case, jurors deliberated only two hours before convicting Mitta, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

Under federal statutes, Mitta had been facing up to 20 years in federal prison without parole.

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