U.S. Attorney News Release: Health Care Professional Sentenced To Prison For Product Tampering
Demerol Diverted at Bellevue Surgery Clinic DREA LYNNE GIBSON, 43, of Fall City, Washington, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to a year and a day in prison and three years of supervised release for product tampering in violation of federal law. GIBSON pleaded guilty in May 2009, admitting that she tampered with doses of Demerol, a narcotic pain medication, at the surgical center where she worked. At sentencing U.S. District Judge Ricardo Martinez said, This is an extremely serious offense. Using Demerol for herself is one thing, stealing it is another. But replacing it with something else takes it to another level. Replacing the Demerol with epinephrine shows she was willing to put other people in pain and even at risk of death to treat her own pain.