Oxford Nurse Sentenced In Case Over Stolen Fentanyl: Feds

NEW HAVEN, CT — A 49-year-old former nurse from Oxford was sentenced to three years of supervised release and other penalties for stealing fentanyl from vials intended for patients at the Orange-based fertility clinic where she used to work, according to federal prosecutors.

In addition to the supervised release, Donna Monticone also must serve four weekends in jail, and three months of home confinement, ordered New Haven U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall. She also surrendered her nursing license.

According to Acting U.S. Attorney Leonard C. Boyle, Monticone pleaded guilty in March to one count of tampering with a consumer product in connection with the case.

Monticone used to work as a nurse at the Yale Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility clinic in Orange, where, among other duties, she "ordered and inventoried a variety of narcotics used by the clinic, including fentanyl," according to court documents and statements.

Fentanyl, a powerful pain reliever, is a component of a cohort of drugs used by Yale physicians during outpatient surgical procedures to anesthetize and protect patients.

Monticone, who prosecutors described as having a drug habit, began stealing fentanyl from the clinic in June 2020 to use herself. She did this by accessing secure storage areas, taking vials of fentanyl, and extracting the drug from the vials using a syringe.

She then reinjected saline into vials so that it would appear as if none of the narcotics were missing, but prosecutors said that an investigation revealed that approximately 75 percent of the fentanyl given to patients at the Yale REI clinic from June to October 2020 was adulterated with saline. Some vials contained diluted fentanyl, while others contained no drug at all and contained just saline.

"Monticone knew that the adulterated vials of fentanyl she replaced at the Yale REI clinic would be used in surgical procedures, and that the absence of an anesthetic during an outpatient procedure may cause serious bodily injury to the patient," according to Boyle. "Monticone initially injected herself with the fentanyl while working at the Yale REI clinic and eventually began taking the vials home. She would refill the vials with sterile saline at home, bring them back to the clinic, and reintroduce them into the stock of fentanyl available for use during surgical procedures."

In November, Monticone brought approximately 175 vials of fentanyl that she had taken from the Yale REI clinic and discarded them in waste containers at the clinic, according to prosecutors.

Numerous victims submitted letters to Judge Hall describing physical pain they experienced during their procedures at the Yale REI clinic during this time period.

This matter was investigated by the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations; the DEA’s New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad; and the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, Drug Control Division. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ray Miller.