A registered nurse has been charged in federal court in Chicago for allegedly distributing counterfeit Ozempic to three people in the city during 2023. Prosecutors allege that Sharon Christine Sackman, who is 52 years old and currently lives in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, provided drugs labeled as Ozempic, a weight-loss medication. According to court documents, these drugs were not made by Novo Nordisk—the manufacturer of Ozempic—and did not contain semaglutide, the active ingredient found in the genuine product.
Authorities state that although Sackman was a registered professional nurse, she was not licensed to prescribe, administer, dispense or sell Ozempic. She faces one count of distributing misbranded drugs and three counts of dispensing counterfeit drugs. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of up to one year in federal prison.
Sackman pleaded not guilty at her arraignment on Tuesday in federal court in Chicago. A status hearing is set for February 3, 2026 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Laura K. McNally.
The announcement was made by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Ronne Malham, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Havey is representing the government.
“The public is reminded that an information is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.”
