Nurse Pleads Guilty to Stealing Drugs from VA

A nurse at the Providence VA Medical Center appeared in U.S. District Court on Friday and told a federal judge that he removed liquid opioids from vials of morphine at the hospital and left behind vials filled only with saline, according to a news release issued by the office of U.S. Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch.

The nurse, 35-year-old Jared Scott, of West Warwick, pleaded guilty to charges of tampering with a consumer product and acquiring a controlled substance by deception and subterfuge, the release says.

Appearing before Chief Judge William E. Smith, Scott admitted that he had accessed the vials while they were in a locked storage cart, the release says.

He admitted to accessing vials of opioids, which were designated for patient use several times in October and November 2017.

Scott’s sentencing is scheduled for April 5.

The case, which is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Terrence P. Donnelly, was investigated by the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General and the United States Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations.