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 10 of 17, 226–250 of 402
- Jacksonville Hospital ICU Nurse Pleads Guilty to Tampering With Patients' Fentanyl 2022-04-13 · Jacksonville, Florida · Hospital / health system
- DC nurse and nurse practitioner licenses revoked after oxycodone distribution conviction 2022-04-08 · Washington, DC · Other / not classified
- Hilo Medical Center nurse charged with fentanyl theft and drug possession 2022-04 · Hilo, HI · Hospital / health system
- Worcester County Nursing Home Nurse Pleads Guilty to Tampering With a Dementia Patient's Morphine 2022-03-08 · Northborough, Massachusetts · Long-term care
- Danville Hospital Nurse Sentenced for Tampering with Fentanyl and Hydromorphone 2022-03-04 · Danville, Virginia · Other / not classified
- Cedar Rapids Surgery Center Nurse Sentenced for Tampering With Fentanyl Vials 2022-01-21 · Cedar Rapids, Iowa · Ambulatory surgery / OR
- DC emergency nurse's diversion surfaced by automated dispensing cabinet audit 2022-01-14 · Washington, DC · Hospital / health system
- Skilled nursing facility registered nurse diverted Ativan tablets from PRN supply for personal use; Vermont license warned 2022-01 · Gwynedd, PA · Long-term care
- South Carolina Nurse Sentenced in Opioid Diversion Case (2022) 2022 · South Carolina · Other / not classified
- South Carolina Nurse Charged in Opioid Diversion Case (2022) 2022 · South Carolina · Hospital / health system
- Montana Nurse Sentenced in Opioid Diversion Case (2022, case 2) 2022 · Montana · Other / not classified
- Montana Nurse Sentenced in Opioid Diversion Case (2022) 2022 · Montana · Other / not classified
- Iowa Nurse Sentenced in Opioid Diversion Case (2022) 2022 · Iowa · Ambulatory surgery / OR
- Iowa Nurse Sentenced in Controlled Substance Diversion Case (2022) 2022 · Iowa · Other / not classified
- Hawaii Nurse Charged in Controlled Substance Diversion Case (2022) 2022 · Hawaii · Hospital / health system
- Connecticut Nurse Sentenced in Opioid Diversion Case (2022) 2022 · Connecticut · Other / not classified
- Colorado Nurse Sentenced in Opioid Diversion Case (2022) 2022 · Colorado · Other / not classified
- Alabama Nurse Convicted in Controlled Substance Diversion Case (2022) 2022 · Alabama · Long-term care
- Confluence Health Clinic Nurse Tampered with Morphine Vials 2021-12-07 · Moses Lake, Washington · Other / not classified
- Contract nurse at Winston-Salem hospital diverted hydromorphone and replaced it with saline 2021-12 · Winston-Salem, NC · Hospital / health system
- Colorado Nurse Sentenced Over Fake Research-Study Hydromorphone Diversion 2021-12 · Colorado · Hospital / health system
- DC nurse diverted oxycodone from a rehabilitation hospital 2021-11-23 · Washington, DC · Hospital / health system
- 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
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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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