A man from Nauvoo, Illinois, has been sentenced for diverting opioids from a healthcare facility where he worked as a pharmacist. Josef Andres Blunier, 47, was involved in the illegal activity from at least July 2022 to July 2023 at the Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center hospital.
Court documents reveal that Blunier acquired prescription pills by manipulating pharmacy inventory records, misrepresenting where the inventory was destined, and keeping outdated pills that were supposed to be disposed of. He diverted a total of 10,592 Schedule II controlled substances, which include drugs like oxycodone, hydromorphone, morphine, and hydrocodone. Additionally, in 2023, Blunier secured a part-time job at another pharmacy in Iowa, where he continued to divert Schedule II controlled substances from filled patient prescriptions.
Blunier has been sentenced to a three-year probation period. He is also required to pay $5,311.61 in restitution, a $5,250 fine, and a $200 special assessment.
"United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement," and the case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
