A pharmacy technician working at a tribal health care center in Sisseton, South Dakota, was indicted by a federal grand jury on August 3, 2010, on charges of obtaining controlled substances by fraud and health care fraud. The technician pleaded guilty to the health care fraud count on February 7, 2011.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, between August 1, 2008, and January 31, 2009, the technician took quantities of hydrocodone from the Indian Health Service facility. The release describes the method as acting as though she was disposing of or restocking quantities of the drug found in unclaimed prescriptions.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, and prosecuted by an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of South Dakota. The release does not describe how the discrepancy first came to light.
The technician was sentenced in federal court in May 2011. The available excerpt of the release does not state the length or terms of the sentence.