The longtime finance chief at SpineFrontier, a Boston-area spinal implant maker once headquartered in Malden, has admitted he helped turn the company’s consulting program into a pipeline of cash for surgeons who used its devices in taxpayer-funded surgeries.
Federal prosecutors say Chief Financial Officer Aditya Humad, 41, of Cambridge, funneled more than $540,000 in sham consulting fees to surgeons in a kickback scheme that generated millions of dollars in revenue for the company. On Monday, Humad pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of conspiracy to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Humad is slated for sentencing on Aug. 6, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani. The charge carries a statutory maximum of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and potential fines, forfeiture and restitution. Prosecutors also note that Humad previously agreed to pay more than $150,000 in a related civil settlement.
How Prosecutors Say the Money Flowed
According to prosecutors, Humad and others used consulting contracts as a cover, promising surgeons between $250 and $1,000 per hour for supposed advisory work. In many cases, the doctors did little or no actual consulting, authorities say, but the payments kept flowing anyway.
The government contends those payments were really kickbacks that nudged surgeons to choose SpineFrontier implants in operations billed to Medicare, Medicaid and the Veterans Health Administration, a setup that brought in millions for the company, as reported by Boston 25 News.
A Long-Running Federal Probe
Humad’s plea is the latest development in a years-long crackdown on SpineFrontier’s consulting and marketing practices. Federal regulators have been unwinding the company’s physician-consulting arrangements and related third-party deals through a mix of civil and criminal cases.
According to the HHS Office of Inspector General, SpineFrontier founder and CEO Dr. Kingsley Chin pleaded guilty in May 2025 to making false statements to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and later received a term of supervised release. Industry coverage in Becker’s Spine Review details related guilty pleas by a surgeon and a distributor tied to the same investigation.
What’s Next for Humad
At sentencing, prosecutors say they will argue that Humad’s conspiracy involved more than $540,000 in illegal payments disguised as consulting fees. Potential penalties include imprisonment, supervised release, fines and forfeiture, along with restitution tied to losses suffered by federal health care programs.
For patients and clinicians in the Boston area, the case is another reminder that federal watchdogs are still laser-focused on the money trails between device makers and surgeons. We will update this story when court filings spell out final forfeiture, restitution and sentencing details.
