Roger B. Handberg, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida
A nurse from Lithia, Florida, has admitted to tampering with injectable fentanyl and falsifying hospital records. Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announced that Lisa Williams, aged 56, pleaded guilty to six counts of tampering with a consumer product and six counts of acquiring a controlled substance by misrepresentation. Each count of tampering carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison, while each acquisition offense could result in up to four years in prison. The sentencing date remains undetermined.
Court documents reveal that on several occasions between October and December 2023, Williams, a registered nurse licensed in Florida, removed injectable fentanyl from a secure drawer at Hospital #1. She then tampered with the drug by extracting some for her personal use before replacing it with another container she had previously altered. This compromised the safety of patients at Hospital #1, as Williams acted "with reckless disregard" for their potential risk of death or injury and showed "extreme indifference" to such dangers. Additionally, Williams manipulated hospital records to falsely indicate a canceled transaction, creating the illusion that nothing was taken from the secure drawer.
The investigation into this case was conducted by the Food and Drug Administration—Office of Criminal Investigations and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Greg Pizzo is prosecuting the case.
