TAMPA, Fla. — A Florida registered nurse was sentenced after he was found guilty of using fentanyl intended for patients.
According to a press release from the Department of Justice, Eric Brewer, 30, of Lakeland, was sentenced to five years and three months in Federal prison for tampering with a consumer product and obtaining a controlled substance.
Brewer was a Florida-registered nurse and worked at various hospitals in the Tampa Bay area.
Brewer pleaded guilty to tampering with fentanyl intended for patients by removing a portion of the controlled substance from the container and using it for his own personal use, according to the DOJ.
On seven occasions between June and September of 2023, Brewer would enter the treatment room of a patient getting intravenous fentanyl treatment and would redirect and steal the fentanyl using a styrofoam cup.
He would also steal fentanyl from secure medication rooms and would inject himself in the bathroom, the DOJ said.
A hospital employee reported Brewer after he volunteered to change a patient's fentanyl bag and was observed leaving a restroom with slurred speech, stumbling, and falling asleep.
Brewer pleaded guilty on April 28.
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