A nurse and Round Lake resident has pleaded guilty to federal charges of stealing fentanyl from patients, causing them to feel significant pain during surgery, at a hospital in Iowa.
Benjamin K. Albert, 53, of Round Lake, was convicted of three counts of acquiring fentanyl through fraud in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa.
Albert admitted in a plea agreement that he worked at a Dubuque, Iowa, hospital as a certified registered nurse anesthetist from January 13, 2022, through January 27, 2022.
A certified registered nurse anesthetist administers anesthesia and provides pain management to individuals undergoing surgical procedures.
Over the five days that he worked, Albert administered fentanyl to 18 patients, prosecutors said.
Albert admitted that on each day he worked, he stole fentanyl from the hospital by drawing extra fentanyl from the hospital pharmacy in a patient’s name, prosecutors said.
Albert then only administered a portion of the fentanyl to the patient. He stole the rest for his own use, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said several of Albert’s patients whom he charted as having received appropriate dosing of fentanyl exhibited signs of feeling significant pain during surgery.
A sentencing hearing before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams will be scheduled after a presentence report is prepared.
Albert remains out of custody on release pending sentencing.
He faces a possible maximum sentence of four years in prison, a $250,000 fine and one year of supervised release following imprisonment.
Albert has agreed to forfeit his Iowa nursing license as a result of the plea agreement. His Illinois license is indefinitely suspended.
The Drug Enforcement Agency and the Investigative Division of the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals investigated the case.