A former nurse from Dedham admitted in federal court to messing with patients' pain medication, authorities said. 44-year-old Jaclyn McQueen pleaded guilty to one count of tampering with a consumer product on January 5, said officials. Charged on Dececember 7, 2023, McQueen, who worked as a registered nurse at a local rehabilitation center, was accused of stealing liquid oxycodone intended for patients under her care, replacing it with saline to cover her tracks. The victims supposed to receive the pain relief were left with a mere solution of saltwater.
According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office, between February and May of 2020, McQueen covertly removed the powerful narcotic from syringes, consuming it herself. Those tampered syringes were then placed back onto medication carts, posing a threat to unsuspecting patients.
The misconduct by McQueen, who put her personal addiction before patient safety, provides a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, not to mention three years of supervised release and a possible fine of up to $250,000. "Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy, Fernando McMillan, Special Agent in Charge of the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations; and Robert H. Goldstein, MD, PhD, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health," the ones to make the announcement, told in a statement obtained by the Department of Justice.
Scheduled for April 4, 2024, McQueen's sentencing will be decided by U.S. District Court Judge Julia E. Kobick, with penalties based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and relevant statutes. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly Begg Lawrence, leader of the Health Care Fraud Unit, is on deck to prosecute the case.
