Nurse drug diversion cases
402 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 Role field, or failing that its title, names one of these roles: 100 from the Role field, 302 from the title.
Roles counted: Registered nurse (RN) (91) · Licensed practical / vocational nurse (22) · Nurse practitioner / APRN (15) · Nurse anesthetist (CRNA) (12) · Nurse (role unspecified) (262).
Monetary penalties stated
Median: $5,500
Smallest $500 · largest $4,500,000
Median of 37 amounts in US dollars (civil settlements and penalties, criminal fines, restitution, forfeiture) stated in 35 of 402 records. 367 records state no dollar amount.
Custodial sentences stated
Shortest: 3 months
Longest: 120 months (10 years)
63 prison or jail terms stated in 63 of 402 records. Probation, supervised release, home confinement and suspended terms are not counted.
Drug classes involved
| Drug class | Records |
|---|---|
| Opioids | 285 |
| Other controlled substance | 65 |
| Benzodiazepines | 14 |
| Stimulants | 8 |
| Anesthetics / sedatives | 6 |
| No drug stated | 44 |
A record naming drugs from two classes counts in both.
States with the most records
| State | Records |
|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 22 |
| Iowa | 18 |
| Michigan | 16 |
| Connecticut | 15 |
| Mississippi | 15 |
| Wisconsin | 15 |
| Oregon | 14 |
| New Hampshire | 11 |
52 states and territories in all; every state.
Settings involved
| Setting | Records |
|---|---|
| Hospital / health system | 159 |
| Other / not classified | 150 |
| Long-term care | 25 |
| Ambulatory surgery / OR | 9 |
| Home health / hospice | 6 |
| Fertility / reproductive | 2 |
| Retail pharmacy | 1 |
| No setting stated | 50 |
Other roles
Cases
Newest first · page 1 of 17, 1–25 of 402
- Fitchburg Nursing Facility LPN Replaced Hospice Patients' Oxycodone with Lookalike Pills 2026-09-23 · Fitchburg, MA · Long-term care
- Pediatric intensive care nurse sentenced after guilty plea to obtaining morphine by fraud 2026-09 · Baltimore, MD · Hospital / health system
- Former VA Medical Center Nurse Indicted for Stealing Hydromorphone 2026-08-21 · Minneapolis, Minnesota · Hospital / health system
- Registered nurse accused of diverting morphine from OrthoNebraska surgical unit 2026-08 · Omaha, NE · Other / not classified
- Contract Nurse Anesthetist Sentenced for Burglarizing Pain Clinic's Controlled Substances 2026-07-20 · Louisville, Kentucky · Other / not classified
- Missouri nurse forged oxycodone and Percocet prescriptions using a coworker's pad and DEA number 2026-07-10 · Hospital / health system
- LeMars Nurse Sentenced for Diverting Fentanyl and Hydromorphone, Falsifying Patient Records 2026-07-09 · LeMars, Iowa · Other / not classified
- VA medical center nurse pleads guilty to diverting and tampering with psychiatric patients' stimulant medications 2026-07 · White River Junction, VT · Hospital / health system
- Registered nurse charged with unlawfully obtaining oxycodone, hydromorphone and fentanyl at a Horry County hospital 2026-07 · Horry County, SC · Hospital / health system
- Indiana assisted-living nurse charged over oxycodone cart discrepancies 2026-06-17 · Other / not classified
- Tampa Bay Nurse Sentenced to Two Years for Tampering with and Stealing Injectable Opioids 2026-06-11 · Tampa, Florida · Hospital / health system
- Puerto Rico nurse anesthetist indicted on federal charges of tampering with fentanyl vials 2026-06-02
- Puerto Rico Anesthesia Nurse Indicted for Replacing Fentanyl with Clear Liquid 2026-06-02 · San Juan, Puerto Rico · Ambulatory surgery / OR
- VA hospital psychiatric nurse diverted amphetamine/dextroamphetamine and methylphenidate and tampered with patient medications 2026-06 · White River Junction, VT · Hospital / health system
- Utah nurse charged after police found thousands of prescription pills in home safe 2026-06 · Other / not classified
- South Carolina Practical Nurse Charged Over Care Facility Oxycodone Theft 2026-05 · Simpsonville, South Carolina · Other / not classified
- Licensed practical nurse charged with stealing oxycodone from resident at Simpsonville Post Acute 2026-05 · Greenville County, SC · Other / not classified
- Indiana Emergency Nurse Sentenced Over Fentanyl Documentation Falsification 2026-05 · Fort Wayne, Indiana · Hospital / health system
- Montana Health Center Nursing Director Sentenced for Tampering With Fentanyl 2026-04-29 · Jordan, Montana · Other / not classified
- Chesapeake Hospital Nurse Pleads Guilty to Diverting Hydromorphone From Cancer and Sickle-Cell Patients 2026-04-24 · Chesapeake, Virginia · Hospital / health system
- Former Nurse Practitioner Pleads Guilty to Redistributing Patients' Unused Opioid Pills 2026-04-13 · Auburn, New York · 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
- Hospital nurse accused of stealing opioids from patients at Grand Strand Medical Center 2026-04 · Horry County, SC · Hospital / health system
- Vermont hospital endoscopy unit nurse diverted fentanyl and sedatives intended for patients 2026-03-05 · Barre, Vermont · Hospital / health system
- Rehabilitation center nurse accused of stealing patients' painkillers and drug logs 2026-03 · Sandy, UT · Other / not classified
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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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