Chicago area nurse gets 2 years in prison for stealing morphine from sick patients
CHICAGO (CBS) – A northwest suburban nurse was sentenced in court on Thursday to two years in federal prison for stealing morphine from her patients, some of whom were terminally ill.
Sarah Diamond, 31, of Woodstock, was accused of targeting the most vulnerable, including hospice patients living out their final days.
In 2021, she removed liquid morphine from bottles that had been prescribed to at least five hospice patients and replaced it with saline. Prosecutors said she took the medication for her own personal use.
She also admitted to investigators that she administered diluted morphine to her patients about 20 times.
In one instance, prosecutors said a patient's family saw the patient suffer during what would end up being some of their final moments before dying.
"Patients deserve to have confidence that they are receiving the legitimately prescribed medication and not a diluted substance," said Acting U.S. Attorney Pasqual in a statement. "Health care practitioners who illicitly tamper with prescription drugs will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
Diamond worked as the assistant director of nursing at a Chicago-area medical rehabilitation center.