Lea Roberge, Morphine Tampering, MA 2024

Lea Roberge, a 32-year-old registered nurse from Worcester, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty yesterday to stealing morphine from patients and replacing it with saline — a dangerous scam that put vulnerable lives at risk. The crime unfolded at Holy Trinity Eastern Orthodox Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, where Roberge had access to emergency narcotic kits used in life-or-death situations.

Roberge admitted to two counts of tampering with a consumer product — specifically, the Schedule II controlled substance morphine sulfate. On two separate occasions in March 2015, she used a syringe to extract medication from six vials and one bottle, then refilled them with saline solution in an attempt to mask the theft. The tampering was discovered during a routine audit, triggering a federal investigation.

The morphine-laced kits are kept on-site for emergencies when pharmacy access is too slow. By siphoning off potent painkillers and weakening the remaining doses, Roberge didn’t just steal — she sabotaged critical care. Patients in severe pain or acute distress could have been left without effective treatment, exposing them to unnecessary suffering or worse.

U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman scheduled sentencing for April 5, 2017. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. While federal sentences often fall below the statutory maximum, the breach of trust cuts deep in a profession built on care and integrity.

The case was jointly announced by United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz, Jeffrey Ebersole — Special Agent in Charge of the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations, New York Field Office — and Massachusetts Department of Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel, MD, MPH. The collaboration underscores the seriousness of medical supply tampering, especially amid the opioid crisis gripping New England.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Lauren Dineen Jerrett of Ortiz’s Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case. As the feds close in, Roberge’s career hangs in ruins — a former caregiver now facing prison for betraying the sickest among us.