In January 2013, William Joseph Zinnanti was sentenced to four months in prison for selling medical devices that did not comply with the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, according to a U.S. Department of Justice press release. From 2005–2007, Zinnanti owned and led Zinnanti Surgical Design, LLC, which made the Bayonet Electro-Surgical Pencil. The surgical pencil is intended for use on the tissue around the thoracic vertebrae in thoracic disc procedures. According to the release, the manufacture, packing, and storage of these surgical pencils did not meet current good manufacturing practice and "Zinnanti acted with the intent to defraud and mislead the FDA with regarding to the manufacturing procedures he had in place." There was a global recall for the devices in 2007.

Zinnanti's sentence: Four months in prison