Drug Diversion Case Studies

New York Psychiatrist Pleads Guilty to Diverting Medication Using Patient's Children's Identities

Clifton Park, New York

A psychiatrist and addiction-medicine physician with a practice in Clifton Park, New York prescribed methylphenidate (generic Ritalin) to a patient with the arrangement that the patient would kick back part of each filled prescription to him for his own use. To obtain more of the drug, he fraudulently used the names and birthdates of that patient's children to issue additional methylphenidate prescriptions in their identities, which the patient then picked up and split with him. He pleaded guilty to distributing controlled substances outside the course of professional practice and to misusing personal identifying information, and separately settled civil claims over improper ketamine prescribing and recordkeeping failures at his practice.

Buffalo-Area Medical Office Manager Sentenced for Stealing Controlled Substances via Forged Prescriptions

Buffalo, New York

An office manager for a Williamsville, New York physician's practice used her access to the physician's prescription pad and state-issued electronic prescribing credential to issue 166 fraudulent prescriptions for hydrocodone and oxycodone — totaling roughly 11,885 dosage units — without the physician's knowledge. The prescriptions were written in her own name, associates' names, and fictitious patients, and she filled them at local pharmacies for personal use. The scheme unraveled when a Rite Aid pharmacist questioned a prescription's legitimacy and called the physician directly. She was convicted of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud and sentenced to probation and restitution.

Nurse Sentenced to 5 Years for Tampering with Hospice Patient's Morphine

Danvers / Amesbury, Massachusetts

Brianna Duffy tampered with morphine prescribed to an 89-year-old hospice patient on March 17-18, 2019, diluting it to just 26% of the prescribed concentration by replacing the withdrawn drug with another liquid. She was sentenced in 2020 to five years in federal prison.

Minnesota pharmacist-in-charge reprimanded after technician diverted over 18,000 doses of controlled substances

While a Minnesota pharmacist served as pharmacist-in-charge, a pharmacy technician diverted various controlled substances. The DEA loss report listed shortages of twenty-five different controlled substances totaling 18,269 tablets and capsules and 143 ml of liquids and injectables, and a large quantity of gabapentin was also missing. The Board of Pharmacy found the pharmacist-in-charge had given the technician full control of the controlled substance inventory with no separation of duties or pharmacist verification, and in September 2020 it reprimanded her and barred her from serving as pharmacist-in-charge.

Montana Pharmacist Pleads Guilty to Filling Fraudulent Opioid Prescriptions for Himself

Ennis, Montana

The pharmacist-in-charge at Ennis Pharmacy in Montana filled hydrocodone prescriptions for himself under a doctor's name and signature without that doctor ever authorizing or seeing him as a patient. He also altered a friend's legitimate prescription to double the strength and nearly triple the pill count before filling it himself and mailing the drugs out of state. A routine DEA administrative inspection of the pharmacy uncovered the scheme. He pleaded guilty to dispensing a controlled substance by a practitioner and obtaining a controlled substance by fraud; in a separate civil case, Ennis Pharmacy itself agreed to pay a $125,000 fine and overhaul its operating procedures.

Roslyn NY Doctor Pleads Guilty in Oxycodone Conspiracy

Roslyn, New York (Eastern District of New York)

Tameshwar Ammar, a former medical doctor in Roslyn, New York, pleaded guilty in federal court in Central Islip on July 27, 2020. The plea was made by teleconference. He pleaded guilty to conspiring to illegally distribute oxycodone. The notice came from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York. The source notice did not state a sentence or give further details of the conduct.

Walgreens pharmacy technician diverted Norco 10 and Norco 7.5

A pharmacy technician was alleged to have committed theft or embezzlement of prescription drugs and controlled substances from a permitted facility. The technician admitted to taking Norco 10 and Norco 7.5 from the Walgreens pharmacy where she worked, and the board found the violation as charged. The board accepted the voluntary surrender of her registration, revoked it, and imposed $250 in investigation costs.

Walgreens pharmacist diverted Adderall and Allegra D

McComb, MS

A pharmacist was alleged to have committed theft or embezzlement of prescription drugs and controlled substances from a permitted facility. The pharmacist admitted to taking Adderall and Allegra D from the Walgreens pharmacy in McComb, MS where she worked, and the board found the violation as charged. The board accepted the voluntary surrender of her license, revoked it, and imposed $750 in investigation costs.

Pharmacy technician diverted OxyContin from AccuDose machines at Baptist Medical Center

A pharmacy technician was alleged to have committed theft or embezzlement of prescription drugs and controlled substances from a permitted facility. The technician admitted to taking OxyContin from the AccuDose machines at Baptist Medical Center, and the board found the violation as charged. The board accepted the voluntary surrender of her registration, revoked it, and imposed $250 in investigation costs.

Pharmacy technician diverted Norco, Percocet, and MS Contin from Magee General Hospital pharmacy

A pharmacy technician was alleged to have committed theft or embezzlement of prescription drugs and controlled substances from a permitted facility. The technician admitted to taking Norco, Percocet and MS Contin from the pharmacy at Magee General Hospital where she worked, and the board found the violation as charged. The board accepted the voluntary surrender of her registration, revoked it, and imposed $350 in investigation costs.

Eastern Iowa ICU Nurse Sentenced for Stealing Patient's Fentanyl and Morphine

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Kelly Kristin Postel, an ICU nurse at a Cedar Rapids, Iowa hospital, obtained excess fentanyl and morphine from the hospital pharmacy for patients between October and December 2018, administered only the prescribed amount, and kept the remainder for her own use while still on duty. On December 10, 2018, she withdrew pain medication directly from an unconscious patient's IV line in the ICU. She pleaded guilty in February 2020 to acquiring controlled substances and was sentenced in June 2020 to federal prison.

ICU Nurse Steals Fentanyl IV Bags at Research Medical Center

Kansas City, Missouri

Julie Lynne Grant, an ICU nurse at Research Medical Center, ordered a compounded fentanyl IV bag on April 4, 2019, falsely telling the pharmacy a patient's bag had run dry. A pharmacist grew suspicious, and Grant admitted extracting the fentanyl and refilling the bag with an unknown liquid.

South Dakota ICU nurse's lawsuit over termination for fentanyl discrepancies rejected on appeal

A hospital terminated an intensive care unit nurse in March 2016 after an internal review, prompted by an automated dispensing cabinet report showing an atypically high fentanyl removal rate, found documentation errors and small quantities of fentanyl, lorazepam and hydromorphone that could not be accounted for. The nurse denied any wrongdoing and sued for wrongful discharge, breach of contract and defamation. The circuit court granted summary judgment to the hospital, and the South Dakota Supreme Court affirmed in June 2020. The opinion excerpt records no criminal charge or board finding of diversion.

Savage Family Pharmacy Pays $180,480 to Settle Controlled Substances Act Recordkeeping Violations

Waynesboro, Pennsylvania

Savage Family Pharmacy in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania agreed to pay $180,480 in civil penalties after the DEA alleged the pharmacy failed to comply with Controlled Substances Act recordkeeping requirements between 2015 and 2019. Investigators found inventories were not reconciled with the pharmacy's perpetual log, incoming and dispensed counts had been altered, and pages of the perpetual log had been removed, allowing tens of thousands of doses of oxycodone and hydrocodone to go unaccounted for and potentially diverted. The civil investigation was triggered by an act of employee theft of controlled substances at the pharmacy in May 2019. The pharmacy has since overhauled its inventory-reconciliation practices.

Virginia Rite Aid Pharmacist Pleads Guilty to Filling Fraudulent Prescriptions in Pets' Names

Saltville, Virginia

A pharmacist at a Rite Aid in Saltville, Virginia filled approximately 47 controlled-substance prescriptions written in the names of five dogs belonging to his girlfriend, who operated a veterinary clinic, diverting the drugs for his own personal use. A DEA review of the state prescription monitoring program found the pattern, including seven prescriptions filled after one of the dogs had already been euthanized, and records showed many of the underlying prescriptions had been altered or were photocopies of earlier scripts. He pleaded guilty in federal court to obtaining drugs by fraud and using another person's DEA registration number to acquire a controlled substance.

West Hartford long-term care pharmacy settled after alprazolam loss and 22,000-dose discrepancy

A West Hartford pharmacy that serves long-term care and assisted living facilities entered into a civil settlement with the federal government, agreeing to pay a $150,000 penalty to resolve Controlled Substances Act allegations. The DEA began investigating in October 2018 after the pharmacy reported a loss of more than 6,000 dosage units of alprazolam 2mg, and an internal investigation indicated employee theft likely contributed. A subsequent DEA audit found a total discrepancy of more than 22,000 doses, which the government attributed in part to lax controls against diversion and inaccurate inventories. The settlement resolves allegations without a finding of liability.

CRNA Tampered with Fentanyl Vials at Charles City Hospital

Charles City, Iowa

From February to September 2018, Christopher Scott West used his nursing licenses to divert fentanyl and sufentanil intended for patients at the hospital's surgery and birthing centers, perforating vial seals and refilling them with saline. He was sentenced in 2020 to 34 months in federal prison.

VA Urgent Care Nurse Pleads Guilty to Stealing Hydromorphone

Pineville, Louisiana

Jolie King, a registered nurse at the VA Medical Center Urgent Care Clinic in Pineville, Louisiana, used her access to the clinic's narcotics supply cabinet to log in under randomly selected patients' names and withdraw hydromorphone vials without a physician's order, keeping the drug for personal use. In at least one instance she refilled two emptied vials with saline to avoid detection. She pleaded guilty in May 2020 to fraudulently obtaining a controlled substance.

Virginia Physician Pleads Guilty to Opioid Pill Mill

Fairfax, Virginia (Eastern District of Virginia)

Dr. Felicia Lyn Donald, 65, of Great Falls, a Fairfax physician, pleaded guilty on May 4, 2020, to leading and organizing a prescription distribution conspiracy and a related health care fraud scheme. According to court documents, she operated a prescription pill mill from at least April 2016 through April 2020, while practicing at For Women OB/GYN Associates and NOVA Addiction Center. She distributed over 1.2 million milligrams of Schedule II opioids, including at least 325,190 mg of oxycodone and other Schedule II controlled substances.

Nurse accused of diverting fentanyl and hydromorphone at Danville hospital

Danville, VA

According to a U.S. Attorney's Office news release, a registered nurse was accused of diverting and tampering with vials of fentanyl and injectable hydromorphone intended for patients at Sovah Health-Danville beginning in January 2020. On May 19, 2020, the hospital discovered that the tops of several vials had been removed or tampered with, including 14 of 20 fentanyl vials whose tops popped off and one vial with a dry white film that appeared to be superglue. The nurse was already serving a three-year prison sentence for tampering with consumer products at the same hospital.

Pinellas Park pharmacy owner sentenced for filling oxycodone and hydromorphone prescriptions outside professional practice

A licensed pharmacist who owned a small pharmacy in Pinellas Park pleaded guilty on April 24, 2020, to unlawful distribution of oxycodone outside the scope of professional practice. According to court documents, the pharmacy filled Schedule II prescriptions for oxycodone and hydromorphone that were not issued for a legitimate medical purpose, accepted only cash at above-market per-pill prices, and ignored red flags such as opiate-naive patients traveling long distances. The pharmacist was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison with a $500,000 fine and a $766,819 forfeiture money judgment. A pharmacy technician employed there also pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 25 months.

Pembina County Long-Term Care Nurse Charged With Stealing Resident Narcotics

Mountain, North Dakota

A licensed practical nurse at a long-term care facility in Pembina County, North Dakota was charged in April 2020 with theft of a prescription and reckless endangerment after a resident's medication card was found tampered with in November 2017 - pills that were supposed to be hydrocodone/acetaminophen had been broken open and resealed with tape, with acetaminophen substituted inside. She was fired at the time, and the case was later investigated by the Pembina County Sheriff's Office and North Dakota's newly created Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, whose director filed the charges as the unit's first prosecution. The charges remained pending at the time of reporting.

Missouri Nurse's Probation Extended Over Employer Medication Diversion

Missouri

The Missouri State Board of Nursing disciplined a registered nurse for unlawfully taking and consuming prescription medications and syringes from her employer over several months in 2019, placing her on three years' probation with mandatory abstinence and random drug/alcohol screening; the board later extended the probation after a positive alcohol test.

Wisconsin Dentist Pleads Guilty to Diverting Oxycodone Through Employee's Prescription

Mauston, Wisconsin

A dentist practicing in Mauston, Wisconsin wrote an oxycodone prescription in the name of his own dental hygienist and directed her to fill it and hand the pills over to him for his personal use, reimbursing her for the insurance co-pay. The hygienist later cooperated with a DEA investigation into the scheme. He pleaded guilty in federal court in Madison to obtaining oxycodone by misrepresentation, fraud, and deception.

Buffalo-Area Physician Diverted Controlled Substances Through Fraudulent Prescriptions to Associates

Buffalo, New York

A New York-licensed physician who had worked as a contracted doctor at Erie County Medical Center, Mercy Hospital of Buffalo, and the Monsignor Carr Institute pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute oxycodone, hydrocodone, and amphetamine. Over four years, he issued 179 fraudulent prescriptions in his own name and in the names of coworkers, friends, and drug-using associates who were never his patients, trading the prescriptions for cocaine, cash, and a share of the pills. The scheme was uncovered through a DEA investigation that identified the associates receiving prescriptions with no legitimate medical purpose. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, with sentencing scheduled for July 2020.