A Connecticut nurse has pleaded guilty to using narcotics meant for sick veterans under care at the New Haven VA Medical Center, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.
Tara Severino, 58, of West Haven worked as a registered nurse at the facility from January to July of 2023, court documents show. She was assigned to the VA’s Intensive Care Unit for sick or dying patients.
During that time, Severino diverted fentanyl, hydromorphone, and oxycodone that were intended for patients in her care — some of whom were described as “dying” — and administered the drugs on herself, Vanessa Roberts Avery, the U.S. attorney for Connecticut, said in a news release.
According to prosecutors, Severino would often administer part of the substance to a patient before ingesting the remaining portion — the “waste” — herself.
In one instance, after claiming to have seen a brain-dead patient in pain and having a seizure, she administered fentanyl to the patient approximately 19 times over nine days, just so she could divert some for herself, officials said.
Her actions would sometimes affect the medical treatment of some patients. When Severino used hydromorphone and fentanyl meant for dying veterans, medical staff would mistakenly conclude the patients were not responding to their prescribed narcotics.
At one point, Severino volunteered to take care of a patient who had not been assigned to her. She then diverted his pain medication for her own use before he died, court documents show.
Severino is also accused of misrepresenting medical records to cover up her crimes, according to investigators.
On Tuesday, in a federal court in Hartford, Conn., Severino pleaded guilty to obtaining controlled substances by fraud or subterfuge, an offense that carries a maximum of four years in prison.
She was released on a $25,000 bond and is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 12.
