St. Louis, MO - Tina L. Obermeier, RPh, 59, of Webster Groves, MO, entered a guilty plea to one count of Obtaining Controlled Substance by Fraud or Forgery before Senior United States District Judge E. Richard Webber today. Obermeier is scheduled to appear for sentencing on July 24, 2019.
According to court documents, Obermeier was employed as a pharmacist at SSM St. Clare Health Center in Fenton, Missouri, during the time of the offense from January 2017 to April 2018. She would illegally obtain drugs such as hydrocodone, methadone, methylphenidate, and alprazolam from the pharmacy at St. Clare. Obermeier took the drugs in different ways. In some instances, she hid the drugs under her lab coat or other clothing instead of placing prescribed drugs in bins for delivery to patients. On other occasions, she reprinted labels for previously filled prescriptions causing the prescriptions to be filled a second time. Obermeier also printed labels and filled prescriptions for patients for whom there were no drugs prescribed. Obermeier stole approximately 2,476 controlled substances from the Pyxis medical station in the St. Clare pharmacy. Obermeier took the drugs for her own personal use.
Obermeier faces a maximum penalty of four years and a fine of not more than $250,000. In determining the actual sentences, a judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide recommended sentencing ranges.
This case was investigated by Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dorothy McMurtry is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
