Plea Deal Reveals More About N.H. Tech Accused Of Spreading Hepatitis In Md.
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A traveling hospital technician strikes a plea deal on charges he knowingly infected dozens of patients with deadly Hepatitis C--some of them here in Maryland. We're learning about new red flags that should have kept him out of the medical field.
Monique Griego spoke to one of his victims here in Baltimore.
David Kwiatkowski faced up to 100 years in prison, but for one of his victims, this plea deal finally means closure.
Former traveling hospital technician David Kwiatkowski struck a deal with prosecutors that could have him serving as little as 30 years for infecting dozens of people with Hepatitis C.
"He gave each and every one of us a death sentence," said Linwood Nelson.
Nelson crossed paths with Kwiatkowski in 2008 while being treated at the VA Hospital in Baltimore. Prosecutors say Kwiatkowski stole drugs from hospitals, injected himself, then used needles tainted with his own blood on patients.
"He knew he had Hepatitis C of at least June of 2010," said U.S. Attorney John Kacavas. "He continued to divert drugs and permit tainted syringes to be used on patients under his care."
While Kwiatkowski faced charges in New Hampshire, he's linked to infections in four states, including seven cases here in Maryland.
According to the plea deal, Kwiatkowski admitted to stealing drugs for more than a decade, telling investigators, "It was all me" and "Yeah, and I'm going to kill a lot of people out of this."
The court also revealed troubling new information that in 2004, Kwiatkowski was fired from two Michigan hospitals and resigned from two more because of drug issues. That's in addition to firings in Pennsylvania and Arizona.
Nelson can't understand how a man with a history of misconduct found work at reputable hospitals.
"They evidently knew what he was doing but never reported it to anyone, to authorities and just let him run rampant in these different hospitals," he said.
Kwiatkowski's plea hearing is scheduled for Wednesday. Nelson plans to travel to New Hampshire for the sentencing hearing.
In Maryland, Kwiatkowski worked at Maryland General, Johns Hopkins, Southern Maryland and the Baltimore VA.
