ROANOKE, Va. – A former emergency medical services and hospital worker pleaded guilty Tuesday to tampering with vials of fentanyl and hydromorphone meant to save lives, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel Bubar.
31-year-old Jeffrey Leedy faces a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 after he pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to one count of tampering with a consumer product that affects interstate commerce with reckless disregard for the risk that another person will be placed in danger of death or bodily injury.
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From November 2018 to June 2019, court documents show that Leedy altered at least 50 vials of fentanyl and hydromorphone while working at Centra Lynchburg General Hospital and as an EMS worker for Roanoke County.
On May 16, 2019, during an EMS call, a Roanoke City EMS ambulance crew member discovered that a vial of fentanyl appeared to have been tampered with and as he prepared to give it to a patient, noticing that the cap wasn’t secure.
Investigators later found that Leedy had removed the fentanyl from the vial and replaced it with saline, according to Bubar.
Evidence presented during the case showed that a Roanoke County EMS supervisor looked at the access logs and discovered that Leedy was inside the rescue squad building at night, not during his shifts, and stole vials of fentanyl.
“When Leedy tampered with fentanyl and hydromorphone, he put patients’ care at risk, violated the trust we place in our health care workers, and committed a serious crime,” said Bubar. “I applaud the good work carried out by FDA and the Virginia State Police to ensure the public receives unadulterated medication.”