Worcester Nurse Sentenced for Tampering with Painkillers

A Worcester nurse has been sentenced to 20 months in prison for tampering with painkillers at a local nursing home. Lea Roberge, 33, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman to 20 months in prison and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to two counts of tampering with a consumer product, specifically the Schedule II controlled substance morphine.

On two separate occasions in March 2015, while working as a registered nurse at Holy Trinity Eastern Orthodox Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Roberge tampered with morphine sulfate contained in emergency narcotic kits. The kits are available for use at the nursing home in case of an emergency when there is not enough time to obtain medication from the pharmacy.

Roberge, who had access to these emergency narcotic kits, used a syringe to extract morphine from six vials and one bottle. In an attempt to avoid detection, she replaced the extracted medication with saline, thereby decreasing the potency of the drug.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Lauren Dineen Jerrett of Weinreb’s Worcester Branch Office. Acting United States Attorney William D. Weinreb; Jeffrey Ebersole, Special Agent in Charge of the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations, New York Field Office; and Commissioner Monica Bharel, MD, MPH, of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, made the announcement today.

According to the indictment, Roberge’s actions put the lives of patients at risk by reducing the potency of the medication. The investigation was conducted by the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

Roberge’s sentence is a stark reminder of the importance of holding healthcare professionals accountable for their actions. The sentencing is a result of the tireless efforts of law enforcement agencies and prosecutors who worked together to bring Roberge to justice.

As the investigation revealed, Roberge’s actions were not just a crime, but also a betrayal of the public’s trust in the healthcare system. The case serves as a warning to healthcare professionals who would seek to compromise the integrity of the medication they administer.

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