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Katherine Falzetta, 23, a Registered Nurse at the Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital in Clinton, New York, was arrested in May 2013 for stealing morphine from patients not under her care. Falzetta appeared in Plattsburgh City Court before Judge Mark Rogers and was released on her own recognizance. She was charged with first-degree falsifying business records, a felony; fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a felony, and petit larceny, a misdemeanor. Falzetta later pled guilty and was sentenced to three-years probation.
According to officials, employees at the hospital noticed a discrepancy in the amount of morphine they had and then contacted the New York State Attorney General’s office, which then asked Plattsburgh City Police to assist in the matter. City Police Lt. Scott Beebie said, “We were very active in the investigation. We had investigators assigned to it from day one.”
The investigation uncovered that Falzetta took morphine intended for patients in November 2012. In one instance, she removed two doses of morphine for a patient not under her care. In another instance, she removed nine 4 mg doses of morphine intended for a patient not under her care.
Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman, commenting on the arrest, said, “By bringing charges against anyone who steals controlled substances, like morphine, we are taking action to combat the epidemic of prescription drug abuse in New York. My office will continue to bring charges against those who violate the law and those who abuse their positions to illegally obtain narcotics.”
Website Resource: Nurse charged with morphine theft, Press Republican, Felicia Krieg, June 1, 2013
