Former Starkey President Gets 7 Years For Embezzlement

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Former Starkey Laboratories, Inc. president Jerome Ruzicka was sentenced to seven years in prison Wednesday for stealing more than $15 million from the company.

The 62-year-old, and co-defendant Jeffery Taylor, 57, were convicted in March. Taylor, along with Jeffery Longtain, 59, and Scott Nelson, 60, will be sentenced for their involvement on Thursday.

The trial revealed Ruzicka and Taylor worked to embezzle and misappropriate money and business opportunities belonging to Starkey and Sonion, a supplier of hearing aid components to Starkey. The scheme lasted from 2006 to 2015.

Ruzicka was terminated by Starkey in 2015 after details of the ploy were discovered.