HARTFORD, CT – A West Haven nurse has confessed to a horrifying betrayal of trust, admitting today in federal court to stealing potent narcotics from vulnerable, dying veterans under her care. TARA SEVERINO, 58, pleaded guilty to obtaining controlled substances by fraud or subterfuge, a charge carrying a potential four-year prison sentence.
The grim details, revealed in court documents and statements from Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Christopher Algieri, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of the Inspector General, paint a picture of calculated cruelty. Between January and July of 2023, Severino, a registered nurse at the West Haven VA Medical Center’s Intensive Care Unit, systematically diverted fentanyl, hydromorphone, and oxycodone meant for patients nearing the end of their lives.
Severino’s methods were chilling. She didn’t just skim off the top; she ingested the leftover “waste” from administered doses, effectively stealing pain relief from those who desperately needed it. In one particularly disturbing instance, she repeatedly injected fentanyl into a braindead patient – claiming to observe pain and seizures – over nine days, all to fuel her own addiction. Approximately 19 injections were administered during this period.
The impact extended beyond individual suffering. Severino’s actions warped treatment decisions made by other medical staff. Believing patients were unresponsive to prescribed narcotics, doctors and nurses unknowingly based their care on falsified information. She even volunteered to care for patients not assigned to her, specifically to facilitate the theft of their pain medication before they died, and falsified records to cover her tracks, claiming proper administration or disposal when none occurred.
U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny will hand down Severino’s sentence on September 12. She remains free on a $25,000 bond until then. The Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of the Inspector General, led the investigation, with the case prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Margaret Donovan and Christopher Lembo. This case is a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities within the VA system and the potential for exploitation of those who have served our nation.
Anyone who believes they or a loved one may have been affected by Severino’s actions while she was employed at the West Haven VA Medical Center is urged to contact Special Agent Abraham Raymond at (202) 262-2337 or abraham.raymond@va.gov. This isn’t just about criminal justice; it’s about ensuring the dignity and care our veterans deserve, even in their final moments.”
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Key Facts
- State: Connecticut
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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