Benzodiazepine diversion cases
53 documented cases, 2010–2026.
Figures are derived from the 931 case records collected on this site, not from any official total. A record counts here when its Drug field names a benzodiazepine (alprazolam, lorazepam, midazolam).
Monetary penalties stated
Median: $162,500
Smallest $20,000 · largest $300,000
Median of 4 amounts in US dollars (civil settlements and penalties, criminal fines, restitution, forfeiture) stated in 4 of 53 records. 49 records state no dollar amount.
Custodial sentences stated
Shortest: 1 month
Longest: 171 months
9 prison or jail terms stated in 8 of 53 records. Probation, supervised release, home confinement and suspended terms are not counted.
Roles named in the records
| Role | Records |
|---|---|
| Pharmacy technician | 16 |
| Physician / surgeon | 9 |
| Not stated in the record or its title | 7 |
| Nurse (role unspecified) | 7 |
| Pharmacist | 6 |
| Registered nurse (RN) | 4 |
| Licensed practical / vocational nurse | 1 |
| Nurse anesthetist (CRNA) | 1 |
| Nurse practitioner / APRN | 1 |
| Veterinarian | 1 |
From the Role field (17) or, where the record has none, the case title (29).
States with the most records
| State | Records |
|---|---|
| Illinois | 5 |
| Maryland | 4 |
| Oklahoma | 4 |
| Connecticut | 3 |
| Georgia | 3 |
| South Dakota | 3 |
| Alabama | 2 |
| Arizona | 2 |
28 states and territories in all; every state.
Settings involved
| Setting | Records |
|---|---|
| Hospital / health system | 18 |
| Other / not classified | 17 |
| Retail pharmacy | 16 |
| Long-term care | 1 |
| No setting stated | 1 |
Drugs named
| Drug | Records |
|---|---|
| alprazolam | 34 |
| hydrocodone | 27 |
| oxycodone | 16 |
| fentanyl | 15 |
| lorazepam | 14 |
| hydromorphone | 10 |
| midazolam | 9 |
| tramadol | 9 |
| codeine | 8 |
| methadone | 6 |
| ketamine | 2 |
| morphine | 2 |
| propofol | 2 |
| amphetamine | 1 |
| meperidine | 1 |
| phenobarbital | 1 |
A record naming two drugs counts under both.
Other drugs and classes
Cases
Newest first · page 1 of 3, 1–25 of 53
- Fort Walton Beach Gastroenterologist Pays $300,000 to Settle Controlled Substances Act Prescribing Allegations 2026-09-21 · Fort Walton Beach, Florida · Other / not classified
- Registered nurse removed fentanyl from medication safe without order or documentation and failed to document controlled substance administration/wasting; license revoked 2026-04 · Hospital / health system
- Vermont hospital endoscopy unit nurse diverted fentanyl and sedatives intended for patients 2026-03-05 · Barre, Vermont · Hospital / health system
- Portland Mental Health Clinic Pays $20,000 to Settle Controlled Substances Act Violations 2026-01-26 · Portland, Maine · Other / not classified
- Former Boston-Area ICU Nurse Sentenced for Diverting Fentanyl and Versed from Intubated Patient 2026-01-15 · Needham, Massachusetts · Hospital / health system
- Pharmacy technician diverted alprazolam, zolpidem and other controlled substances from a national pharmacy chain in Easton, Maryland, by taking pills from bottles 2025-12 · Easton, MD · Retail pharmacy
- Yale New Haven Hospital nurse sentenced to federal prison for lorazepam tampering 2025-10 · Hospital / health system
- Chicago pharmacy settles federal Controlled Substances Act claims after technician hydrocodone thefts 2025-09-15 · Retail pharmacy
- Chicago pharmacy settles Controlled Substances Act claims after technicians stole hydrocodone 2025-09-15 · Retail pharmacy
- Chicago pharmacy settles federal claims after technicians diverted hydrocodone 2025-09-15 · Retail pharmacy
- Oklahoma grocery-chain pharmacy technician admitted stealing and selling hydrocodone and alprazolam 2025-08-13 · Retail pharmacy
- Pharmacist Sentenced for Diverting Controlled Substances From Mason City Pharmacies 2025-06-17 · Mason City, Iowa · Other / not classified
- Cardiac Catheterization Lab Nurse Sentenced for Tampering With Fentanyl at Miami Hospital 2025-03-18 · Miami, Florida · Hospital / health system
- Yale New Haven Hospital Nurse Tampered with Lorazepam Vials 2024-12-11 · New Haven, Connecticut · Hospital / health system
- Oklahoma City Anesthesiologist Convicted of Diverting Hospital Opioids 2024-07-11 · Oklahoma City, Oklahoma · Hospital / health system
- Texarkana pharmacist pleads guilty to falsifying records to conceal theft of methadone and other narcotics 2024-06 · Retail pharmacy
- Eastern Kentucky physician and clinic nurse sentenced for conspiracy to issue illegitimate opioid prescriptions 2024-03 · Other / not classified
- Former Scripps Encinitas anesthesiologist placed on seven-year probation for taking and self-administering propofol and opioids 2024-03 · Hospital / health system
- Valley Center Veterinary Clinic Pays $125,000 Over Controlled-Substance Mishandling 2024-01-17 · Valley Center, California · Other / not classified
- Oklahoma Physician Convicted in Opioid Diversion Case (2024) 2024 · Oklahoma · Hospital / health system
- Kansas Physician Sentenced in Opioid Diversion Case (2024) 2024 · Kansas · Other / not classified
- Central Illinois pharmacy technician sentenced to 30 months for diverting hydrocodone and other controlled substances 2023-09-13 · Retail pharmacy
- Hawaii Physician Agrees to Plead Guilty in Benzodiazepine Diversion Case (2023) 2023 · Hawaii · Other / not classified
- Le Roy pharmacy technician pleaded guilty to diverting hydrocodone and other controlled substances 2022-11 · Retail pharmacy
- Nursing home licensed practical nurse convicted of diverting 638 narcotics pills from residents 2022-06 · Georgiana, AL · Long-term care
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Disclaimer
Case summaries are based on public records (DOJ press releases, court documents, licensing-board orders, news reports). Charges are allegations unless a conviction is noted. Analysis is educational, not legal advice.
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