Belfry Nurse Pleads Guilty To West Virginia Drug Diversion Scheme
Monday, December 16, 2024, 6:15 P.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
BECKLEY, W.VA.- Last week, a 54-year-old Belfry, Kentucky, woman who was employed as a nurse at a Raleigh, West Virginia hospital is facing up to 14 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to a six-month opioid diversion scheme to feed her opioid drug addiction.
On Wednesday, December 11, 2024, Jacqueline Brewster, 54, of Belfry, appeared in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia and pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn to Obtaining a Controlled Substance by Fraud; and Wrongful Disclosure of Individually Identifiable Health Information.
According To The U.S. Attorney’s Office
According to U.S. Attorney Will Thompson and documents filed with the court, on Wednesday, Brewster admitted that she unlawfully accessed and used individually identifiable health information of patients while she was employed at Raleigh General Hospital in Beckley, West Virginia, to divert hydromorphone, an opioid, for her personal use. Brewster was a travel nurse at Raleigh General Hospital from September 2021 until her termination in February 2022.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, to carry out her scheme, Brewster accessed automated prescription medication dispensing machines at the hospital using her personal biometrics and began checking out hydromorphone supposedly for a patient. Once the machine’s drawer opened, Brewster siphoned off a portion of the hydromorphone from its vial, diluted the remaining hydromorphone with another substance so the vial would appear full, reattached the cap, and returned the vial to the dispensing machine’s drawer. She then canceled the transaction.
Brewster Admits Guilt
Brewster further admitted that on one occasion, she unlawfully accessed individually identifiable health information and obtained hydromorphone by fraud on or about February 1, 2022, at Raleigh General Hospital. Brewster also admitted that she carried out her scheme and diverted hydromorphone many times during her employment at Raleigh General Hospital.
Following entering her guilty plea, Judge Aboulhosn scheduled sentencing for April 4, 2024, at which time Brewster faces up to 14 years in federal prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $500,000 fine.
