FRAMINGHAM — The former owner of a Framingham business tied to a deadly fungal meningitis outbreak and four employees will face prison time after being convicted Thursday by a federal jury.

Southborough resident Greg Conigliaro, a former owner of New England Compounding Center, was found guilty of conspiracy to defraud the United States following a trial that lasted eight weeks, according to an announcement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Conigiliaro, 53, faces a sentence of up to five years for his role in the 2012 outbreak, which killed 64 patients in nine states, and sickened a total of 753 people.

Four other employees of the now-shuttered drugmaker were also convicted Thursday on criminal charges that include racketeering, mail fraud and introducing adulterated drugs into interstate commerce.

“These defendants callously ignored their professional responsibilities to protect patient safety,” Harold H. Shaw, special agent in charge of the FBI Boston Division, said in a statement. “Their failure to safeguard the public played a significant role in the distribution of medicines that were harmful. The FBI will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to combat fraud and abuse in the health care system, so that we can do everything we possibly can to protect the American public from harm.”

The jury also returned guilty findings Thursday for a pair of former NECC clean room pharmacists. Gene Svirskiy, 37, of Ashland, was convicted of racketeering, conspiracy, mail fraud and two counts of introduction of adulterated drugs into interstate commerce with intent to defraud or mislead. Christopher Leary, 34, of Shrewsbury, was convicted of mail fraud, introduction of adulterated drugs into interstate commerce with intent to defraud or mislead and introduction of misbranded drugs into interstate commerce. Both face up to 20 years in prison.

Hopkinton resident Sharon Carter, NECC’s former director of operations, was convicted of a conspiracy charge. Prosecutors say she directed employees to engage in fraudulent prescription schemes to deceive regulators. The 54-year-old faces a sentence of up to five years.

In a statement, U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling said the defendants acted recklessly to the detriment of public health, cutting corners and prioritizing profits over safety.

“The result was contaminated, deficient, deadly drugs that never should have been made or distributed,” Lelling said. “Ultimately, the jury found the defendants’ fraudulent conduct wrong and deserving of punishment.”

Described as the largest public health crisis ever caused by a pharmaceutical drug, the 2012 outbreak sickened patients in 20 states who received injections of preservative-free methylprednisolone acetate (MPA) manufactured by NECC. The drug is used to reduce chronic inflammation and autoimmune reactions.

Federal prosecutors say NECC’s pharmacists produced MPA and other drugs in conditions that were not sanitary. Employees failed to properly sterilize or test the drugs, or to wait for test results before sending them to customers, according to Thursday’s announcement. Pharmacy staff also approved the use of expired ingredients and mislabeled their products to deceive customers, prosecutors alleged.

Additionally, NECC skirted federal oversight by routinely dispensing drugs without valid prescriptions. Prosecutors say Conigliaro repeatedly made false representations about NECC’s operations to the Food and Drug Administration and the Massachusetts Board of Pharmacy, claiming NECC was only dispensing drugs in accordance with patient prescriptions.

In fact, NECC’s pharmacists approved shipments of drugs for patients with names such as Wonder Woman, Fat Albert, Bud Weiser, Samuel Adams, Hindsight Man, Betty Ford, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, Calvin Klein and Jennifer Lopez, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Alla Stepanets, an NECC pharmacist from Framingham, was convicted of six counts for introducing misbranded drugs into interstate commerce. She faces a sentence of up to one year in prison when she is sentenced March 26, 2019.

Eleven former NECC employees have now been convicted, including former owner and head pharmacist Barry Cadden and former supervisory pharmacist Glenn Chin. Two others — Kathy Chin and Michelle Thomas, will be tried in March 2019.

Joseph Evanosky, a former clean room pharmacist from Westford, was acquitted Thursday.

Jim Haddadin can be reached at 617-863-7144 or jhaddadin@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter: @JimHaddadin