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  1. Press Releases

Suburban Nurse Pleads Guilty to Tampering with Patient Medications

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Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney’s Office
Northern District of Illinois

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, April 11, 2023

CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago nurse has pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of tampering with a consumer product.  

SARAH DIAMOND, 30, of Woodstock was employed as the Assistant Director of Nursing at a Chicago-area medical rehabilitation center where she was responsible for dispensing medications to patients.  In July and August 2021, Diamond removed morphine from bottles prescribed to patients and replaced it with another liquid, knowing the diluted substance would be dispensed to the patients.   Diamond removed the morphine with reckless disregard and extreme indifference for the risk that the patients would be placed in danger of bodily injury.

Diamond diluted a bottle of morphine intended for one of the patients, so that it contained only approximately 26% of the declared amount of morphine; and diluted a bottle of morphine intended for another patient so that it contained only approximately 53% of the declared amount of morphine.  Diamond then administered liquid morphine to these patients using the diluted bottles, withholding the remainder of the pain medication intended for them for her own personal use.  In total, Diamond removed liquid morphine intended for use by at least five patients at the rehabilitation center, each of whom had been prescribed liquid morphine to manage their pain.

A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.  Diamond faces up to a maximum of ten years in federal prison.

The plea is announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Ronne G. Malham, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations.  Valuable assistance was provided by the Crystal Lake Police Department.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Heidi Manschreck.

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Topic
HEALTH CARE FRAUD

Component
USAO - Illinois, Northern
 

 
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