Nurse stole painkillers meant for patients at Iowa hospital for years, feds say
While working as a nurse, an Iowa woman stole painkillers from her hospital employer in a yearslong scheme, according to federal authorities.
Now, the 32-year-old woman from Sioux City, Iowa, has pleaded guilty to acquiring a controlled substance by means of misrepresentation, fraud, deception and subterfuge, and false statements relating to health care matters.
She is accused of taking fentanyl, morphine, hydromorphone and hydrocodone, according to an Aug. 30 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa.
The nurse began stealing the drugs in April 11, 2020, and continued through Aug. 15, 2022, according to court records.
Her defense attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News.
Authorities said she would sign the controlled substances out for patient use, but they were actually for personal use. She did not complete the correct paperwork and otherwise falsified documents, according to court records.
In pleading guilty, she faces up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and a year of supervised release, according to the news release.
A study from 2007 estimated that as many as 15% of medical workers will abuse drugs or alcohol during their career, according to the American Addiction Centers.
“Doctors and nurses are more likely to abuse prescription medications, with very high rates of abuse frequently seen with opioid narcotics such as fentanyl,” the AAC said.
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