Nurse Accused Of Tampering With Patients' Morphine Charged

MCHENRY COUNTY, IL — A nurse accused of removing morphine from bottles prescribed to two patients and replaced it with a different liquid has been indicted on federal charges, authorities said Thursday.

Sarah Diamond, 29, of Woodstock, has been charged with two counts of tampering with a consumer product.

“Patients should know they are receiving proper treatment from those entrusted with their medical care,” said Lynda M. Burdelik, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations. “We must hold medical personnel accountable when they take advantage of their unique position and tamper with medications their patients need, potentially exposing them to contaminated medical products.”

An indictment filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago alleges that Diamond tampered with the liquid morphine in August 2021 "with reckless disregard and extreme indifference for the risk that the patients would be placed in danger of bodily injury," according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois.

“Patients deserve to have confidence that they are receiving the legitimately prescribed medication and not a diluted substance,”said John R. Lausch, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Northern Illinois District. “Health care practitioners who illicitly tamper with prescription drugs will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

An arraignment in federal court has not yet been scheduled.