Prosecutors: Don’t grant Wheeling man leniency in erectile pump case

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Prosecutors in Rhode Island are asking a judge to reject a request for leniency from a Wheeling man who admitted shipping unwanted penis enlargers to diabetes patients as part of a Medicare fraud scheme.

In court papers filed Thursday, prosecutors say the 1½-year prison sentence sought by 49-year-old Gary Winner wouldn’t serve justice. Winner is being sentenced Friday.

The guidelines for determining Winner’s punishment recommend a prison term between just under six years and a little more than seven years. Prosecutors are asking the judge to impose a sentence on the low end of that range. They say he could face a maximum of 33 years in prison.

Winner pleaded guilty to four charges stemming from the scheme and agreed to forfeit more than $2.2 million.