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| Florida Nurse Sentenced to Prison for Replacing Fentanyl and Morphine with Saline |
By Staff Reporter
iSkyNews.com (ISN) – Published June 13th, 2026
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Florida Nurse Sentenced to Two Years in Federal Prison for Tampering with Hospital Medications
TAMPA, Fla. — A Florida nurse has been sentenced to two years in federal prison after admitting to tampering with controlled substances intended for hospital patients and using the drugs for her own personal use.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida, Lauren Hornbuckle, 37, of Seminole, pleaded guilty to tampering with a consumer product and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven.
News Brief Summary
- Lauren Hornbuckle, 37, of Seminole, was sentenced to two years in federal prison.
- Hornbuckle was a licensed registered nurse working at a Tampa Bay area hospital.
- Between November 2023 and March 2024, she stole injectable controlled substances, including morphine, hydromorphone, and fentanyl.
- Investigators say she removed the drugs from their containers and replaced them with saline solution.
- The tampered medications were returned to circulation and could have been administered to unsuspecting patients.
- Federal prosecutors said her actions showed reckless disregard for patient safety.
- Hornbuckle used the stolen drugs for her own personal use.
- The hospital involved has not been publicly identified.
- The case was investigated by the FBI and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.
Federal officials said the scheme put patients at risk because medications expected to contain powerful pain-relieving drugs instead contained saline solution. Court records indicate Hornbuckle acted with reckless disregard for the possibility of bodily injury to patients who depended on those medications for treatment.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Pizzo.
Source: U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Florida
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