Pharmacist gets prison time for stealing IV bags containing fentanyl

BAY CITY, MI – A pharmacist who stole IV bags containing a powerful opioid from the hospital where he worked has been ordered to serve time in federal prison.

U.S. District Judge Thomas L. Ludington on Tuesday, Dec. 18, sentenced Joey R. DeGrand, 36, to a year and a day in prison. The judge did not immediately order DeGrand taken into custody and allowed him to leave pending notification from the U.S. Marshals Service.

Once DeGrand serves his time, he’ll be on supervised release for an additional year, Ludington ordered.

The judge also ordered DeGrand to participate in a substance abuse program.

DeGrand in July pleaded guilty to the one charge he faced, that of theft of medical products. The charge is punishable by up to three years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

In pleading, DeGrand admitted that while working in the pharmacy of MidMichigan Medical Center in Midland on April 25, 2017, he stole IV bags containing a fentanyl solution. The bags had been manufactured outside of Michigan and were therefore in interstate commerce when DeGrand stole them.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 100 times more powerful than heroin.

DeGrand said he took the bags to his home for personal use.

In addition, DeGrand attempted to conceal his theft by affixing fentanyl labels to IV bags containing only saline solution and replaced the stolen fentanyl IV bags with those falsified saline IV bags, according to his plea agreement.

When he pleaded, DeGrand agreed to permanently relinquish his pharmacist license to administer, transfer, or deliver controlled substances.

During his plea hearing, DeGrand said in 2017 he participated in inpatient treatment for narcotics addiction and is currently in the state’s Health Professional Recovery Program.

On Dec. 13, the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (or LARA) suspended DeGrand’s license on grounds of negligence, incompetence, lack of good moral character, and impaired conduct, practice, or condition.