Case Database
Filter every documented case by date, drug, state, setting, role, prosecution status, and penalty. Search accepts brand or generic drug names, facility names, and cities.
Showing 87 of 931 cases · page 4 of 11.
| Case / When | Where | Setting | Drug | Method | Role | Prosecution status | Penalty | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Boston-Area ER Nurse Sentenced for 412 Unauthorized Opioid Withdrawals
2023-11-15
|
Massachusetts Boston, Massachusetts |
Hospital emergency department | Morphine, fentanyl, hydromorphone | 412 unauthorized cabinet withdrawals billed to 299 already-discharged patients over ~5 months. The 412 unauthorized withdrawals were tied to 299 discharged patients. | not stated | Pleaded guilty; sentenced to 3 months' imprisonment and 1 year supervised release (Nov. 2023) | none documented | source |
|
Iowa Nurse Pleads Guilty to Diverting Fentanyl from Waterloo Hospital via False Wasting
2023-10-11
|
Iowa Waterloo, Iowa |
Hospital, Waterloo, Iowa (part of a multi-hospital network) | Fentanyl, hydromorphone, and morphine | Falsely documented wasting full vials after patients purportedly refused the drug, then diverted the undocumented remainder for personal use | not stated | Pleaded guilty, October 2023, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa; nursing license forfeited; sentencing pending | none documented | source |
|
VA nurse pleaded guilty to stealing fentanyl, morphine and hydromorphone
2023-10
|
Colorado Aurora, CO |
Denver Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center, VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System | fentanyl, morphine and hydromorphone | stealing fentanyl, morphine and hydromorphone from the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Denver | not stated | Pleaded guilty; sentenced to 14 months in prison | none documented | source |
|
Sioux City Nurse Pleads Guilty to Stealing Opioids from Hospital Employer
2023-08-31
|
Iowa Sioux City, Iowa |
Hospital, Sioux City, Iowa | Fentanyl, morphine, hydromorphone, and hydrocodone | Diverted drugs intended for patients and falsified controlled-substance disbursement log entries to conceal the shortage | not stated | Pleaded guilty, August 30, 2023, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa; sentencing pending | none documented | source |
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Raleigh-Area Nurse Sentenced for Tampering with Surgical Patients' Painkillers
2023-05-22
|
North Carolina Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina |
Surgical practice, Fuquay-Varina/Raleigh, NC | Fentanyl, morphine, meperidine | Extracted drug from 78+ vials, refilled with saline | not stated | Pleaded guilty; sentenced May 2023 to 48 months | none documented | source |
|
Surgical practice nurse sentenced for tampering with fentanyl, morphine, and meperidine and replacing them with saline
2023-05
|
North Carolina Raleigh, NC |
a Raleigh-area surgical practice | fentanyl, morphine, and meperidine | extracted medication from vials of fentanyl, morphine, and meperidine and replaced it with saline, compromising at least 78 vials, including those intended for surgical patients; testing found compromised vials contained less than 15% of the actual medication and that tampering rendered multiple vials unsterile | not stated | sentenced to 48 months in prison and three years of supervised release; pleaded guilty to the charges; plea agreement requires permanent surrender of the nursing license | none documented | source |
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Chicago-Area Rehab Center Nursing Director Pleads Guilty to Diluting Patients' Morphine
2023-04-11
|
Illinois Chicago, Illinois |
Medical rehabilitation center | Liquid morphine | Removed morphine from prescribed bottles, diluted remaining doses with another liquid, and administered the weakened doses to patients | not stated | Pleaded guilty to tampering with a consumer product (April 2023); sentencing pending | none documented | source |
|
Missoula Hospital Nurse Sentenced for Diverting Opioids Flagged by Distribution Audit
2023-03-22
|
Montana Missoula, Montana |
Hospital (St. Patrick Hospital) | Oxycodone, hydromorphone, hydrocodone, fentanyl, morphine | Ordered opioids at above-peer rates and diverted hospice-style waste amounts by substituting saline before disposal | not stated | Pleaded guilty; sentenced to 3 years' probation (March 2023) | none documented | source |
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What each column does and doesn't cover
Every case states When (date) and Where (state) — 931 of 931. Beyond that, a blank cell means the source record does not state that fact, not that it did not happen:
- Setting: stated in 850 of 931 cases (91%)
- Drug: stated in 858 of 931 cases (92%)
- Method: stated in 675 of 931 cases (73%)
- Prosecution status: stated in 675 of 931 cases (73%); a documented penalty (fine, settlement, or restitution) exists for 107 of 931 cases (11%)
- Role: stated in only 255 of 931 cases (27%) — filtering or sorting by role silently hides the rest of the registry, which may still describe the same role in prose without a structured field
Disclaimer
Case summaries are based on public records (DOJ press releases, court documents, news reports). Charges are allegations unless a conviction is noted. Analysis is educational, not legal advice.
Last reviewed: September 2026 · Content is educational, not legal advice.