Rebecca Elaine Holloway, Tampering with Consumer Products, Oklahoma 2023

Ardmore Nurse Guilty of Tampering with Pain Medication

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – Rebecca Elaine Holloway, age 32, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, pleaded guilty to tampering with consumer products, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1365(a) and (a)(4).

The charges arose from an investigation by the United States Food and Drug Administration's Office of Criminal Investigations and the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics.

Holloway, a former nurse at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Mercy Hospital in Ardmore, Oklahoma, admitted to stealing fentanyl and hydromorphone intended for ICU patients. She removed the pain medication from the vials, refilled them with tap water, and returned the tampered vials to the controlled storage locker.

'Patients rely on the knowledge that they will receive FDA-approved medications to manage their pain,' said Special Agent in Charge Charles L. Grinstead, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations Kansas City Field Office. 'We will continue to pursue and bring to justice healthcare professionals who jeopardize patients' health by tampering with their pain medications.'

Holloway's actions put patients at risk of death and bodily injury. 'Our healthcare system is built upon trust,' said U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Wilson. 'This office will not hesitate to prosecute health care workers who abuse that trust.'

The Honorable Jason A. Robertson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.

Holloway faces up to 10 years of imprisonment, a fine up to $250,000.00, or both, for her crime. Tampering with Consumer Products, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §1365(a) and (a)(4), carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

Anyone who was a patient in the Mercy Hospital Intensive Care Unit in Ardmore, Oklahoma, between March 1, 2022, and April 22, 2022, and believes they may have received a tampered dose of fentanyl or hydromorphone can contact the FDA Office of Criminal Investigations at 214-790-7545.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edok/pr/ardmore-nurse-pleads-guilty-tampering-pain-medication