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 17 of 24, 401–425 of 588
- Connecticut Nurse Convicted in Controlled Substance Diversion Case (2020) 2020 · Connecticut · Other / not classified
- Haverhill Nurse Sentenced for Tampering with Hospice Patient's Morphine 2019-12-18 · Amesbury, Massachusetts · Long-term care
- Connecticut Pharmacist Admits Tampering with Home-Infusion Narcotics 2019-12-13 · Wolcott, Connecticut · Retail pharmacy
- Air-Evacuation Paramedic Tampered with Fentanyl and Ketamine Vials 2019-12-09 · Weatherford, Oklahoma · Other / not classified
- Jacksonville Nurse Pleads Guilty to Tampering with Injectable Painkillers 2019-12-06 · Jacksonville, Florida · Hospital / health system
- Chicago pharmacy technician sentenced to five years for stealing and selling hydrocodone 2019-11-21 · Retail pharmacy
- Chicago Pharmacy Technician Sentenced for Stealing 56,000 Hydrocodone Pills 2019-11-20 · Chicago, Illinois · Retail pharmacy
- ICU Nurse Sentenced for Stealing Fentanyl at Parker Adventist Hospital 2019-11-13 · Parker, Colorado · Hospital / health system
- Pharmacist stole Schedule IV controlled substances from Institutional Care Pharmacy 2019-11 · Tiffin, OH · Retail pharmacy
- Pain Clinic Nurse Accused of Replacing Stolen Fentanyl Vials 2019-10-31 · Greenville, MI · Other / not classified
- St. Vincent Healthcare Nurse Swapped Patient's Pain Pills for Acetaminophen 2019-10-29 · Billings, Montana · Other / not classified
- Queens Supervising Pharmacist Sentenced for Filling Forged Oxycodone Prescriptions 2019-08-30 · Richmond Hill, Queens, New York · Retail pharmacy
- St. Francis Hospital Nurse Turned Off Infusion Pumps to Divert Narcotics 2019-08-14 · Hartford, CT · Hospital / health system
- Nursing Facility LPN Took Six Patients' Oxycodone 2019-08-14 · Glastonbury, CT · Long-term care
- Wausau Physician Pleads Guilty to Diverting Fentanyl Patches from Patients 2019-07-18 · Wausau, Wisconsin · Hospital / health system
- Connecticut LPN placed on probation after Massachusetts license suspension for diverting opioids 2019-07 · Other / not classified
- Minnesota pharmacy chain pays $225,000 to resolve Controlled Substances Act claims after pharmacist-in-charge diverted opioids 2019-06-11 · 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
- Louisiana federal settlement with drug distributor over civil penalty claims 2019-05-24 · Other / not classified
- Charlotte pharmacy technician convicted of embezzling oxycodone via fraudulent prescription 2019-05-09 · Retail pharmacy
- Morgantown pharmacist sentenced to 121 months for distributing oxycodone outside professional practice 2019-05 · Retail pharmacy
- Utah County sheriff's evidence technician charged with taking drugs slated for destruction 2019-05 · 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
- Las Vegas nurse sentenced for illegally prescribing hydrocodone and oxycodone in a cash-for-prescriptions scheme 2019-05 · Las Vegas, NV · Other / not classified
- Boise Hospital Nurse Sentenced for Diverting Fentanyl Vials from an Automated Dispensing Cabinet 2019-04-16 · Boise, ID · 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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