Kandis Mills, Morphine Tampering, Illinois 2021

A 47-year-old Tuscola woman, Kandis Mills, has been sentenced to six years in federal prison for tampering with morphine intended for hospice patients and using it herself.

Mills pleaded guilty on Oct. 26, 2020, to two counts of tampering with consumer products, specifically bottles of morphine, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of Illinois.

The crimes occurred while Mills worked as a registered nurse at Illini Heritage Rehab and Health Care in Champaign, Ill., from May 2018 to early August 2018.

According to court documents, an internal audit at the facility found that a bottle of morphine was missing on July 20, 2018, and that a patient's morphine bottle had been tampered with on July 23, 2018. Additionally, two nurses reported that Mills seemed lethargic, was slurring her words, and staring into space.

On Aug. 4, 2018, staff at the facility discovered another emergency medication control box had been tampered with. Mills was terminated from her job on Aug. 5, 2018. When interviewed by investigators, Mills admitted to consuming residents' morphine, infrequently at first, but eventually daily.

Mills also admitted to diluting the morphine bottle with tap water from a sink. Staff at the facility recalled patients who Mills admitted stealing morphine from had experienced difficulty with pain management near the end of their lives.

Mills was ordered to report to the federal Bureau of Prisons on May 25, 2021, to begin serving her prison term, and to remain on supervised release for three years following her release from prison.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Springfield Division and the Illinois State Police Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tanner K. Jacobs represented the government at sentencing.

Acting U.S. Attorney Douglas J. Quivey stated, 'This case shows both the devastating harm caused by opioid addiction to include almost unforgivable collateral damage inflicted on our most vulnerable citizens and also the importance of strictly following narcotic medicine storage and audit rules.'

FBI Springfield Special Agent in Charge Sean M. Cox stated, 'Registered Nurses are some of our most trusted professionals in the health care industry. Unfortunately, this case is representative of the dangers associated with addiction. When an individual does not seek help, they endanger the lives of those whom they entered the profession to protect.'

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdil/pr/tuscola-nurse-sentenced-six-years-federal-prison-using-patients-morphine