The grand jury is reportedly looking at the conduct of four or five top officials of the Stamford, Conn.-based pharmaceutical company, who prosecutors contend were involved in concealing the dangers of OxyContin while aggressively pushing salespeople to market the drug.

Charges could include fraud and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, the latter of which carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison. Experts said this would be the first time that pharmaceutical executives face criminal charges for selling narcotics.

"This company has lied about everything," said attorney Paul Hanly, who represents a former Purdue employee called to appear before the grand jury. "My understanding is that the [grand jury] was convened because of the misrepresentations that Purdue made from the get-go."

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