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

Roles in these 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

States in these 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

Settings in these records
Setting	Records
Hospital / health system	18
Other / not classified	17
Retail pharmacy	16
Long-term care	1
No setting stated	1

Drugs named

Generic drugs named in these records
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 2 of 3, 26–50 of 53

Ann Arbor VA Nurse Anesthetist Stole 2,000+ Vials of Opioids 2021-11-09 · Ann Arbor, Michigan · Hospital / health system
Colorado Nurse Stole Fentanyl in Hospital Catheterization Lab 2021-09-18 · Colorado · Hospital / health system
Nurse Arrested for Stealing 1,400+ Vials of Fentanyl from Long Island Hospital 2021-05-18 · Manhasset, New York · Hospital / health system
Nursing Home Employees Sentenced for Stealing and Reselling Patients' Alprazolam 2021-04-19 · Brunswick, Georgia · Other / not classified
Maryland Prescriber Sentenced in Opioid Diversion Case (2021) 2021 · Maryland · Other / not classified
Maryland Pharmacist Sentenced in Opioid Diversion Case (2021) 2021 · Maryland · Other / not classified
Rawlins physician sentenced federally for dispensing medically unnecessary controlled substances 2020-12 · Rawlins, WY · Other / not classified
South Dakota ICU nurse's lawsuit over termination for fentanyl discrepancies rejected on appeal 2020-06-17 · Hospital / health system
South Dakota ICU nurse fired after fentanyl accountability review; wrongful-discharge suit fails on appeal 2020-06-17 · Hospital / health system
ICU nurse at a Sioux Falls hospital accused of diverting fentanyl, lorazepam and hydromorphone after medication records review 2020-06 · Sioux Falls, SD · Hospital / health system
West Hartford long-term care pharmacy settled after alprazolam loss and 22,000-dose discrepancy 2020-06 · Retail pharmacy
Farmville pharmacy and pharmacist-in-charge ordered to pay $600,000 and permanently barred from dispensing controlled substances 2020-02-03 · Retail pharmacy
Rawlins physician charged with prescribing oxycodone and other controlled substances outside legitimate medical practice 2020-02 · Rawlins, WY · Other / not classified
Kentucky Pharmacist Convicted in Opioid Diversion Case (2020) 2020 · Kentucky · Other / not classified
Pharmacist stole Schedule IV controlled substances from Institutional Care Pharmacy 2019-11 · Tiffin, OH · Retail pharmacy
Nurse practitioner forged physicians' signatures to issue unauthorized controlled-substance prescriptions at two Montgomery pill-mill practices 2019-06 · Montgomery, AL · Other / not classified
Physician at Green Mountain Family Medicine diverted controlled substances by writing staff members' prescriptions for personal and family use 2019-05 · Rutland and White River Junction, VT · Other / not classified
Lewiston pharmacy technician sentenced to 54 months after stealing nearly 60,000 pills from employer 2019-04-09 · Retail pharmacy
Arizona pharmacist and technician sentenced for diverting over 200,000 opioid tablets through two Phoenix-area pharmacies 2018-11-30 · Other / not classified
Phoenix-Area Pharmacist and Technician Diverted More Than 200,000 Opioid Tablets from Two Pharmacies 2018-11-28 · Peoria / Phoenix, AZ · Other / not classified
Emory Hospital Pharmacy Technicians Diverted More Than 1 Million Doses of Controlled Substances 2016-02-01 · Atlanta, GA · Hospital / health system
University hospital employees fired for diverting controlled substances including alprazolam and hydrocodone 2016-02 · Hospital / health system
Pharmacy technician admitted taking Xanax, Lortab and Luminal without payment from a national chain pharmacy 2014-10 · Baltimore, MD · Retail pharmacy
Texas Pharmacy Technician Faces License Action Over Opioid Diversion (2013) 2013 · Texas · Retail pharmacy
A pharmacy technician diverted narcotics by taking and selling them, and the pharmacy's controlled-substance records were found inaccurate as a result 2012-05 · Retail pharmacy

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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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Benzodiazepine diversion cases