A Dodge County nurse has admitted to filching opioids meant for recovering patients, U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger announced. Jennifer Lee Garrison, a 40-year-old post-anesthesia care nurse, pled guilty to obtaining oxycodone by deception, as per court documents. Garrison committed her acts of fraud at a hospital's Automated Dispensing Cabinet (ADC), which housed both controlled and uncontrolled meds, including the powerful painkiller oxycodone and the bladder medication oxybutynin.

Court papers reveal that starting in August 2022, the nurse began pocketing oxycodone pills, up to six a day by July 2023. She'd pull a fast one by giving patients only one of their prescribed two oxycodone pills and keeping the other for herself, then cooked up fake pain reports to cover her tracks, as reported by the U.S. Department of Justice. Another trick in her playbook was to make bogus transactions for oxybutynin, sneak out a pill, cancel the transaction, and then swipe an oxycodone pill instead of dispensing the correct medication to her patients.

Garrison's opioid heist came to an end when she pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Court Judge Jerry W. Blackwell. Though she's confessed to the crime, the ex-nurse awaits a sentencing date that's yet to be determined. The case, unraveling a scheme that could have endangered the recovery process of countless individuals in the grip of pain, came to light thanks to an investigation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Campbell Warner is at the helm of the legal battle against Garrison.