United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that an Elkton, South Dakota, woman convicted of Theft in Connection with Health Care was sentenced on November 5, 2018, by U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier.
Sheryl Vaske, age 53, was sentenced to one year probation, restitution in the amount of $15.80, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $25.
Vaske was indicted by a federal grand jury on June 6, 2018. She pled guilty on Aug. 2, 2018.
The conviction stems from an incident in January 2016, when the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations (HHS-OIG-OI) began investigating a shortage of Promethazine with Codeine Syrup at the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe (FSST) Clinic Pharmacy. Investigators reviewed video footage from the FSST Clinic Pharmacy on January 8, 2016. The footage from that day shows pharmacist Vaske removing a large bottle from the safe on the counter, empty the bottle into a smaller bottle, throw the large bottle into the trash, dump some trash on top of that, take the smaller bottle (without having placed a label on it) and leave the pharmacy for a couple of minutes. Vaske returned without the smaller bottle.
On Nov. 30, 2017, an interview of Vaske was conducted and she said that in April 2016, the South Dakota Board of Pharmacy called her and told her that the pharmacy needed to do a perpetual inventory for schedule V drugs. According to Vaske, the Board told her she needed to inventory Promethazine with Codeine Syrup because another FSST Clinic Pharmacy employee was known to have a problem with it.
Agents played the January 8, 2016 security video footage. She identified herself and the “Promethazine with Codeine" in the footage. When agents asked her what she did with the substance, Vaske responded, “I took it." She also admitted that she took it for personal use, and that she had “poor judgment."
This case was investigated by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann M. Hoffman prosecuted the case.
The case was brought pursuant to The Guardians Project, a federal law enforcement initiative to coordinate efforts between participating agencies, to promote citizen disclosure of public corruption, fraud, and embezzlement involving federal program funds, contracts, and grants, and to hold accountable those who are responsible for adversely affecting those living in South Dakota’s Indian country communities. The Guardians Project is another step of federal law enforcement’s on-going efforts to increase engagement, coordination, and positive action on behalf of tribal communities. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the participating agencies include: Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Offices of Inspector General for the Departments of Interior, Health and Human Services, Social Security Administration, Agriculture, Transportation, Education, Justice, and Housing and Urban Development; Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division; U.S. Postal Inspector Service; U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General.
For additional information about The Guardians Project, please contact the United States Attorney’s Office at (605)330-4400. To report a suspected crime, please contact law enforcement at the federal agency’s locally listed telephone number.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
