Elizabeth Prophitt, Opioid Theft, Michigan 2023

Elizabeth Prophitt, a 39-year-old former Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist at the Ann Arbor VA Hospital, systematically looted more than 2,000 vials of powerful opioids from her workplace, exploiting her access to controlled substances for personal abuse. The thefts, carried out over an extended period, included Schedule II and IV drugs like fentanyl, hydromorphone, morphine, and midazolam — medications critical for treating veterans in surgical and critical care settings.

Prophitt, of Saline, Michigan, was sentenced today to three years’ probation after pleading guilty to five counts of obtaining controlled substances by fraud, misrepresentation, or deceit. U.S. District Court Judge Robert H. Cleland handed down the sentence in Detroit, where federal authorities detailed how Prophitt used her clinical position to falsify medical records and steal drugs under the guise of patient care. In reality, the medications were diverted for her own use, leaving veterans’ treatments compromised and hospital safety protocols in tatters.

Acting United States Attorney Saima S. Mohsin made it clear: this was no isolated lapse in judgment. “In order to protect the health and safety of our citizens, we take crimes like this seriously and will not hesitate to prosecute health care workers whose theft of drugs put patients in harm’s way.” Prophitt accessed hospital dispensing machines even on days she wasn’t scheduled to work, often during off-hours, brazenly skimming vials from systems meant to safeguard high-risk medications.

Her scheme relied on protected patient information and forged documentation — a betrayal of both medical ethics and federal law. Instead of administering life-saving drugs to veterans, Prophitt hoarded and consumed them. The Department of Veterans Affairs — Office of Inspector General and the Drug Enforcement Administration led the investigation, uncovering a pattern of deceit that eroded trust in a facility entrusted with the care of those who served.

“We will not tolerate medical professionals stealing controlled substances intended for the care of our nation’s veterans,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Gavin McClaren of the VA OIG’s Central Field Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandy R. McMillion, who serves as both the Opioid Fraud Abuse and Detection Unit Prosecutor and Deputy Chief of the Health Care Fraud Unit in the Eastern District of Michigan.

This case is part of a broader DOJ initiative targeting medical insiders fueling the opioid crisis. Twelve specialized prosecutors nationwide, including McMillion, are tasked with rooting out healthcare professionals who exploit their positions for drug diversion. The theft by Elizabeth Prophitt didn’t just break the law — it endangered lives and exposed dangerous vulnerabilities in the VA’s internal controls.

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