Hydromorphone diversion cases
124 documented cases, 2001–2026.
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 hydromorphone; it also appears on the opioids page.
Monetary penalties stated
Median: $5,129.10
Smallest $1,000 · largest $4,360,000
Median of 14 amounts in US dollars (civil settlements and penalties, criminal fines, restitution, forfeiture) stated in 13 of 124 records. 111 records state no dollar amount.
Custodial sentences stated
Shortest: 3 months
Longest: 60 months (5 years)
29 prison or jail terms stated in 29 of 124 records. Probation, supervised release, home confinement and suspended terms are not counted.
Roles named in the records
| Role | Records |
|---|---|
| Nurse (role unspecified) | 71 |
| Pharmacist | 14 |
| Registered nurse (RN) | 14 |
| Physician / surgeon | 9 |
| Pharmacy technician | 6 |
| Licensed practical / vocational nurse | 2 |
| Not stated in the record or its title | 2 |
| Nurse anesthetist (CRNA) | 2 |
| Paramedic / EMT | 2 |
| Nurse practitioner / APRN | 1 |
| Veterinarian | 1 |
From the Role field (21) or, where the record has none, the case title (101).
States with the most records
| State | Records |
|---|---|
| Indiana | 7 |
| Connecticut | 6 |
| Florida | 6 |
| Minnesota | 6 |
| Massachusetts | 5 |
| Michigan | 5 |
| North Carolina | 5 |
| Oklahoma | 5 |
39 states and territories in all; every state.
Settings involved
| Setting | Records |
|---|---|
| Hospital / health system | 74 |
| Other / not classified | 29 |
| Retail pharmacy | 14 |
| Emergency services / EMS | 2 |
| Home health / hospice | 2 |
| Ambulatory surgery / OR | 1 |
| No setting stated | 2 |
Other drugs and classes
Cases
Newest first · page 4 of 5, 76–100 of 124
- Massachusetts ER Nurse Tampered with Hydromorphone and Meperidine 2021-06-29 · West Boylston, Massachusetts · Hospital / health system
- Roswell Park Cancer Center Nurse Tampered with Patients' Hydromorphone 2021-03-10 · Buffalo, New York · Other / not classified
- Roanoke Pharmacist Sentenced for Tampering with Hydromorphone Vials 2021-01-29 · Roanoke, Virginia · Other / not classified
- Michigan hospital network paid $7.75 million to settle allegations its pharmacies enabled opioid diversion 2021-01-20 · Retail pharmacy
- Utah Nurse Sentenced in Opioid Diversion Case (2021) 2021 · Utah · Other / not classified
- Paramedic Stole and Diluted Ambulance Fentanyl and Hydromorphone 2020-09-17 · Carthage / Mount Vernon, Missouri · Emergency services / EMS
- 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
- VA Urgent Care Nurse Pleads Guilty to Stealing Hydromorphone 2020-05-28 · Pineville, Louisiana · Hospital / health system
- Nurse accused of diverting fentanyl and hydromorphone at Danville hospital 2020-05 · Danville, VA · Other / not classified
- Pinellas Park pharmacy owner sentenced for filling oxycodone and hydromorphone prescriptions outside professional practice 2020-04-24 · 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
- Ohio Nurse Convicted in Opioid Diversion Case (2020) 2020 · Ohio · Other / not classified
- Connecticut Pharmacist Admits Tampering with Home-Infusion Narcotics 2019-12-13 · Wolcott, Connecticut · Retail pharmacy
- Jacksonville Nurse Pleads Guilty to Tampering with Injectable Painkillers 2019-12-06 · Jacksonville, Florida · Hospital / health system
- St. Francis Hospital Nurse Turned Off Infusion Pumps to Divert Narcotics 2019-08-14 · Hartford, CT · Hospital / health system
- Connecticut LPN placed on probation after Massachusetts license suspension for diverting opioids 2019-07 · Other / not classified
- New York Physician Sentenced in Opioid Diversion Case (2019) 2019 · New York · Other / not classified
- ED Nurse Transmits Hepatitis C to Patients at Good Samaritan Hospital 2018-05 · Puyallup, Washington · Hospital / health system
- North Colorado Medical Center Nurse Stole Opioids from Locked Dispensing System 2018-04-26 · Greeley, Colorado · Hospital / health system
- Denver VA and ER Nurse Tampered with Fentanyl Vials, Resealed with Skin Glue 2018-04-19 · Denver, Colorado · Hospital / health system
- Wyoming hospital nurse sentenced for diluting hydromorphone and meperidine vials 2018-02-21 · Hospital / health system
- Home-Infusion Pharmacy Tech Diluted Hospice Patients' IV Opioids 2018-02-21 · Birmingham, Alabama · Retail pharmacy
- Former registered nurse at Memorial Hospital of Converse County sentenced for stealing hydromorphone and meperidine and replacing them with saline 2018-02 · Douglas, WY · Hospital / health system
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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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