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Former pharmacist charged in hospital drug theft

Healthcare Security Weekly, May 14, 2007

A former hospital pharmacist at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown, PA, has been charged with the theft of more than 3,300 vials of the narcotic painkiller fentanyl.

The 38-year-old pharmacist from Plainfield Township, waived a preliminary hearing May 10 on charges he stole the drugs between May and October of 2006, reported the Associated Press (AP). He was charged with possession of a controlled substance and obtaining a substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge and freed on $10,000 unsecured bail.

The man no longer works at the hospital. His attorney told the AP the former pharmacist would apply for accelerated rehabilitative disposition, which allows first offenders to expunge their records if they complete requirements of the program. He is also working with the state pharmacy board to try to retain his license, the attorney said. Court papers indicate he was caught on a security camera taking the vials.

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