Former Minneapolis VA Nurse Charged With Stealing Opioids From Patients

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — A former nurse who worked at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Minneapolis has been indicted on a federal charge accusing him of wrongfully obtaining a powerful opioid painkiller, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Minnesota.

Steve Michael Kelley, 58, was indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of obtaining controlled substances by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception, or subterfuge, U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen announced Friday.

Kelley made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elsa M. Bullard on Aug. 21.

According to the indictment, Kelley wrongfully obtained hydromorphone, a controlled substance, between January 2025 and on or about Jan. 28, 2026.

The case resulted from an investigation by the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, the Veterans Affairs Police Department, the Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Campbell Warner is prosecuting the case.