Opioid diversion cases
588 documented cases, 1983–2026.
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 opioid (buprenorphine, codeine, fentanyl, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, meperidine, methadone, morphine, oxycodone, sufentanil, tramadol).
Monetary penalties stated
Median: $27,250
Smallest $400 · largest $4,500,000
Median of 84 amounts in US dollars (civil settlements and penalties, criminal fines, restitution, forfeiture) stated in 74 of 588 records. 514 records state no dollar amount.
Custodial sentences stated
Shortest: 1 month
Longest: 468 months (39 years)
133 prison or jail terms stated in 130 of 588 records. Probation, supervised release, home confinement and suspended terms are not counted.
Roles named in the records
| Role | Records |
|---|---|
| Nurse (role unspecified) | 215 |
| Pharmacist | 75 |
| Pharmacy technician | 72 |
| Physician / surgeon | 68 |
| Not stated in the record or its title | 67 |
| Registered nurse (RN) | 41 |
| Licensed practical / vocational nurse | 11 |
| Nurse anesthetist (CRNA) | 10 |
| Nurse practitioner / APRN | 8 |
| Paramedic / EMT | 8 |
| Dentist / oral surgery | 4 |
| Nurse aide / assistant | 3 |
| Surgical / OR technician | 3 |
| Veterinarian | 3 |
From the Role field (105) or, where the record has none, the case title (416).
States with the most records
| State | Records |
|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 26 |
| New York | 24 |
| Maryland | 21 |
| Illinois | 19 |
| Florida | 18 |
| Iowa | 18 |
| Michigan | 17 |
| Connecticut | 16 |
52 states and territories in all; every state.
Settings involved
| Setting | Records |
|---|---|
| Other / not classified | 235 |
| Hospital / health system | 199 |
| Retail pharmacy | 100 |
| Long-term care | 19 |
| Ambulatory surgery / OR | 9 |
| Dental / oral surgery | 6 |
| Emergency services / EMS | 5 |
| Home health / hospice | 5 |
| Fertility / reproductive | 2 |
| No setting stated | 8 |
Drugs named
| Drug | Records |
|---|---|
| oxycodone | 248 |
| fentanyl | 181 |
| hydrocodone | 157 |
| hydromorphone | 124 |
| morphine | 87 |
| alprazolam | 31 |
| methadone | 23 |
| tramadol | 23 |
| codeine | 16 |
| amphetamine | 14 |
| meperidine | 14 |
| lorazepam | 11 |
| midazolam | 9 |
| propofol | 5 |
| ketamine | 4 |
| buprenorphine | 2 |
| methylphenidate | 2 |
| sufentanil | 2 |
| phenobarbital | 1 |
| testosterone | 1 |
A record naming two drugs counts under both.
Other drugs and classes
Cases
Newest first · page 14 of 24, 326–350 of 588
- Ann Arbor VA Nurse Anesthetist Stole 2,000+ Vials of Opioids 2021-11-09 · Ann Arbor, Michigan · Hospital / health system
- Nebraska City Nurse Diverted Thousands of Opioid Tablets from an Assisted-Living Facility 2021-10-20 · Nebraska City, NE · Other / not classified
- Colorado Nurse Stole Fentanyl in Hospital Catheterization Lab 2021-09-18 · Colorado · Hospital / health system
- Carterville Nurse Diverted Hydrocodone at Disability Care Center 2021-09-16 · Carterville, Illinois · Other / not classified
- DC nurse license stays suspended after fentanyl and oxycodone relapse 2021-09-01 · Washington, DC · Hospital / health system
- Southeast Missouri medical center paid $1.6 million to resolve invalid opioid prescribing claims 2021-09-01 · Hospital / health system
- Florida emergency room nurse accused of diverting hydromorphone after syringes found in work bag; probable cause panel dismissed case 2021-09 · Hospital / health system
- South Dakota hospital nurse convicted of tampering with fentanyl vials and replacing contents with saline 2021-08 · Chamberlain, SD · Hospital / health system
- Intermountain Healthcare Nurse Tampered with Hydromorphone Syringes 2021-07-23 · Salt Lake City, Utah · Hospital / health system
- Pain clinic physician pleaded guilty to operating a pill mill and selling oxycodone for kickbacks 2021-07 · Columbus, OH · Other / not classified
- Hospital nurse convicted of diverting hydromorphone from pre-loaded syringes and replacing it with saline 2021-07 · Sandy, UT · Other / not classified
- Massachusetts ER Nurse Tampered with Hydromorphone and Meperidine 2021-06-29 · West Boylston, Massachusetts · Hospital / health system
- Nurse Tampered with Fentanyl Vials at Yale Fertility Clinic 2021-05-25 · Orange, Connecticut · Fertility / reproductive
- Nurse Arrested for Stealing 1,400+ Vials of Fentanyl from Long Island Hospital 2021-05-18 · Manhasset, New York · Hospital / health system
- Minnesota pharmacy technician took oxycodone from filled patient prescriptions; registration surrendered 2021-05 · Retail pharmacy
- Dothan Pharmacy Owner Sentenced for Selling Opioids Without Prescriptions 2021-04-27 · Dothan, Alabama · Retail pharmacy
- Fontana pharmacy technician's registration revoked over diversion of 117 tramadol tablets 2021-04-26 · Hospital / health system
- Lowell Nursing Home Nurse Diverted Hospice Patients' Liquid Morphine 2021-04-09 · Lowell, Massachusetts · Long-term care
- Westfield Nursing Facility Nurse Diluted Hospice Patient's Morphine 2021-03-30 · Westfield, Massachusetts · Other / not classified
- Roswell Park Cancer Center Nurse Tampered with Patients' Hydromorphone 2021-03-10 · Buffalo, New York · Other / not classified
- Connecticut fertility clinic nurse replaced fentanyl with saline, leaving patients in pain 2021-03 · Fertility / reproductive
- VA Hospice Nurse Sentenced for Diluting Dying Veterans' Morphine 2021-02-24 · Bedford, Massachusetts · Hospital / health system
- Former pharmacist-in-charge and three others charged in Warren County oxycodone diversion scheme 2021-02-24 · Retail pharmacy
- Oklahoma physician, pharmacist and clinic owner sentenced over pre-signed prescription scheme 2021-02 · Retail pharmacy
- Warren County pharmacy: former pharmacist-in-charge and hospital pharmacy technician charged in alleged oxycodone diversion scheme 2021-02 · 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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