Bedford Man Pleads Guilty To Pharmacy Narcotics Tampering

CONCORD, NH — A local man pleaded guilty in federal court yesterday with one count of tampering with a consumer product and one count of obtaining a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, deception, or subterfuge, according to a report. Thomas Kellermann, 65, of Bedford, issued the plea in U.S. District Court on Jan. 10, 2018. He’s scheduled to be sentenced in May.

In 2011, according to court information, Kellermann began abusing narcotics while working as a pharmacist in Bedford. After taking a medical leave in 2012, he “repeatedly returned to the pharmacy after business hours and on weekends and stole narcotic pain medication for his personal use,” acting-U.S. Attorney John Farley noted in a statement.

“Kellermann removed the plastic top of vials containing hydromorphone and morphine, inserted syringes into the vials, and withdrew drugs from the vials,” he noted. “He then injected saline into the vials, placed a small amount of glue on top of the vials to reattach the plastic caps, and placed the vials back into pharmacy stock. This made it appear that the vials were unused. Kellermann also accessed hydromorphone that had been prepared for delivery to a patient, but which had been returned to the pharmacy and wasted.”

An employee at the pharmacy discovered the tampering after detecting irregularities in certain vials of drugs. Some of the vials were analyzed by an independent lab and found to be below their labeled strength.

“Tampering with controlled substances by health care workers is a very serious crime,” Farley added. “This type of activity is a betrayal of the trust that patients place in the health care system. Tampering and diversion not only can deprive patients of needed medicine but also can expose patients to other substantial health risks. We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute health care workers who engage in this very dangerous conduct.”

The investigation was conducted by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Office of Criminal Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Arnold H. Huftalen and Special Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Hawkins of the FDA’s Office of Chief Counsel.

Screenshot via YouTube.