Robert Cimino, 60, pleaded guilty in February to criminal copyright infringement in federal district court in eastern Virginia. In addition to his prison sentence, Cimino must also pay more than $272,000 in restitution and will be subject to three years of supervised release.

"Many of our attorneys live in close proximity to the office, including Marcellus, Westvale, and Onondaga Hill, and have relationships with many residents and businesses in the area so it made perfect sense to open an office to better service current and hopefully future clients," Robert Smith, CEO of Costello, Cooney & Fearon, said in a news release.

"St. Elizabeth Medical Center has not submitted any false claims to Medicare," Chief Operating Officer Robert Scholefield said. "It does not put profits ahead of sound medical judgment."

According to the Justice Department, the settlements - which total more than $9.4 million - resolve allegations that the hospitals overcharged Medicare between 2000 and 2008 when performing kyphoplasty, a procedure used to treat certain spinal fractures.

VESTAL — The legal profession is often associated with a grueling work schedule.

Not long ago a young friend, who is about to enter the 2nd grade, asked me what I do. I think he was trying to understand why I was "dressed up" at the swimming pool. As I struggled to put my response in simple terms I realized I had only a few momen