Hayden O’Byrne United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida | The Florida Bar
A registered nurse from Miami has been sentenced to over two years in federal prison for tampering with medical-grade fentanyl intended for patient use during cardiac procedures. Emmanuel Valentin, 40, confessed to the charges on December 13, 2024, admitting to tampering with consumer products.
Valentin's actions took place while he was employed at a Miami hospital’s cardiac catheterization lab between July 10 and August 18, 2023. He used syringes to extract fentanyl and midazolam from vials for personal use, replacing them with saline solution. These altered vials were then administered to patients undergoing procedures such as cardiac catheterization and stent placement. Additionally, Valentin retrieved empty vials from biohazard waste bins, filled them with saline, and used these to replace stolen vials. This exposed patients not only to potential pain but also to the risk of contracting Hepatitis C and other infections.
Following these incidents, the hospital terminated Valentin's employment and informed affected patients about the contamination risks, offering free blood testing. Fortunately, no acute infections were detected.
In an earlier case on May 15, 2024, Valentin admitted to stealing fentanyl from another Miami hospital in March 2023.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and Acting Special Agent in Charge Kerry Mannion of the FDA Office of Criminal Investigations in Miami.
The investigation was conducted by FDA-OCI Miami and the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by AUSA Timothy Abraham.
For more information or updates on this case, visit the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida website or access related court documents through the District Court for the Southern District of Florida's online portals under case number 24-cr-20435.
