Timothy T. Duax U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa
A nurse anesthetist named Ian Lindsey, age 42, from Mineral Point, Wisconsin, was sentenced to three months in federal prison on April 2, 2025. Lindsey was found guilty of diverting fentanyl for personal use and making false statements related to healthcare matters. Lindsey pleaded guilty on November 13, 2024, to one count of acquiring a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, deception, and subterfuge.
According to his plea agreement and sentencing hearing, Lindsey, starting in 2017, diverted significant amounts of fentanyl and other drugs from a Platteville, Wisconsin hospital. Despite the hospital exceeding monthly fentanyl purchase limits, supplies were consistently depleted. Lindsey accessed and falsified patient records, exhibiting signs of impairment such as being "shaky" and "falling asleep" during surgeries. Consequently, Lindsey was dismissed from the Platteville hospital in 2017.
Lindsey later resumed similar activities at a hospital in Dubuque, Iowa. Between October 2022 and January 2023, fentanyl was diverted from nearly 50 patients, and Lindsey again illegally accessed and altered medical records. He falsely documented administering fentanyl to a patient who did not receive it.
Lindsey's criminal history includes four drunk driving convictions in Wisconsin, with a most recent conviction in 2024 for operating with a prohibited alcohol content. In three drunk driving instances, his blood alcohol content was .240% or higher.
United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams sentenced Lindsey in Cedar Rapids. In addition to the prison term, he received six months of home confinement, a $5,000 fine, and a three-year supervised release post-imprisonment. The federal system does not offer parole.
Despite his criminal history, Lindsey continues to hold valid nursing licenses in several states. During the sentencing, Chief Judge Williams described Lindsey's actions as a "gross abuse of trust" and criticized the licensing boards for inaction regarding Lindsey's licenses, potentially compromising public safety. Lindsey was advised to leave the medical profession.
Lindsey was released on a pre-existing bond and will surrender to the Bureau of Prisons at a future date. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy L. Vavricek and investigated by the Iowa Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.
