Henrico nurse gave patients tampered meds so she could steal fentanyl: court docs

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- A Henrico County nurse pleaded guilty to putting the health and safety of "numerous patients" at risk by swapping out their pain medications so she could steal said medications from Chippenham and Johnston-Willis Medical Center (CJWMC).

On Tuesday, July 15, a federal judge accepted Cristinia Schasse's guilty pleas on three counts of tampering with consumer products, according to court documents obtained by 8News.

These charges stem from Schasse's illegal conduct while working in the endoscopy unit of CJWMC in mid-2023.

What did Schasse do to patients at CJWMC?

More than 30 times across three days, Schasse drew syringes containing fentanyl and another controlled substance and pocketed them.

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In total, Schasse stole a total of 2,800 micrograms of fentanyl, which represents between 140 and 280 dosage units, according to court documents. She also stole about 59 milligrams of the sedative midazolam -- in its brand form, Versed -- which represents between 25 and 50 dosage units.

Schasse then put syringes containing a mixture of a different sedative and saline solution -- which she intentionally mislabeled as fentanyl and Versed -- inside a medication dispensing machine.

Per court documents, Schasse went on to administer this tampered-with medication to "numerous patients" undergoing surgical procedures, showing "reckless disregard for the risk that another person would be placed in danger of death or bodily injury."

Schasse was discovered because she was caught on camera carrying out these medication swaps. This video surveillance footage was recorded on June 14, July 26 and Aug. 2 of 2023.

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On Aug. 2, 2023, Schasse's supervisor asked her to leave her workstation and to "not touch the syringes that remained on her workstation."

"In response, and before she could be stopped, [Schasse] emptied the contents of the syringes in an effort to destroy the evidence," court documents state.

What consequences will Schasse face?

Per Schasse's plea agreement, she must surrender "any and all of her Advanced Practice Registered Nursing licenses, including but not limited to her license as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist in the Commonwealth."

Additionally, Schasse agreed to "never again, directly or indirectly, administer, dispense, prescribe or distribute any controlled substance." She must also surrender any and all drug-related assets that she owns.

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Court documents state that the maximum sentence for her charges is 10 years in prison and up to 3 years of supervised release. She may also need to pay a fine of up to $250,000, in addition to some other miscellaneous costs.

A federal judge will decide on her exact consequences within these guidelines at the time of sentencing.