Colorado Nurse Alicia Nickel-Tangeman Sentenced for PCA Pump Thefts

Denver, Colorado – A former nurse from Woodland Park, Colorado, Alicia Nickel-Tangeman, 44, has been sentenced to 12 months in federal prison for obtaining controlled substances using fraud and deception while working as a Registered Nurse at a Colorado hospital.

According to court documents, Nickel-Tangeman exploited her position to access the rooms of patients she was not assigned to care for. She falsely claimed to be conducting a study on Patient-Controlled Analgesia (PCA) pumps, which deliver controlled substances like hydromorphone. On four occasions, she removed drug portions from syringes and kept them for herself, reinserting the syringe into the PCA pump.

The defendant, when confronted by law enforcement, lied about her actions and provided a false email to support her fabrication. The email was created using a fictitious account she set up in the name of an alleged friend who supposedly asked her to participate in research.

United States Attorney Cole Finegan emphasized that medical professionals who criminally abuse their positions will be held accountable, emphasizing the office’s commitment to protecting public health care systems. Special Agent Charles L. Grinstead from the FDA Office of Criminal Investigations echoed these sentiments, reminding readers that healthcare fraud risks patient health.

“The results of this investigation and corresponding sentence reveal the seriousness of the overdose epidemic when even a nurse succumbs to the temptation of opioids,” said DEA Denver Acting Special Agent in Charge David Olesky. U.S. District Court Judge Christine M. Arguello issued the sentence on November 30, 2021.

This case was investigated by the Food and Drug Administration and the Drug Enforcement Administration, with Assistant United States Attorney Anna Edgar prosecuting the matter under Case No. 21-cr-00214-CMA.