TAMPA – A Lakeland nurse has been sentenced to more than five years in federal prison for stealing and tampering with fentanyl targeting hospital patients in the Tampa Bay area.
US District Judge Stephen D. Maryday was sentenced five years and three months later to 30-year-old Eric Brewer in April after pleading guilty to tampering with consumer products and obtaining controlled substances through fraud.
Federal prosecutors said that Brewers, a licensed registered nurse, worked at multiple Tampa Bay hospitals, repeatedly diverted fentanyl between June 2 and September 12, 2023. Authorities said his actions showed “extreme indifference” to the risk of death or serious injury to the patient.
At least seven times, Brewer took medical supplies from the hospital’s reservoir, entered the patient’s treatment room, redirected fentanyl and redirected it into a styrofoam cup for personal use. In other instances, he accessed a safe medication locker or an operated IV pump to steal the drug.
His actions came to light on September 12, 2023, when Brewer volunteered to replace a fentanyl IV IV drip bag for his patient, despite not being assigned to the case. After collecting the medicine from the safe locker, the brewer was later seen stumbling, killing the speech and falling asleep. When I searched for a nearby toilet, I found a bloody needle and a paper towel.
Drug tests were requested but were denied and the brewer was fired. Tests revealed that the IV bag he treated was diluted by about 50% in saline.
The incident was investigated by the Food and Drug Administration’s Criminal Investigation Bureau and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office. US lawyer Greg Pizzo has indicted the case.
