CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — A judge sentenced a Cedar Rapids surgery center nurse to 5 years of probation for diverting opioids for her own personal use from 2018-2019.
Sabrina Thalblum, 52, of Cedar Rapids pleaded guilty on July 21 to one count of acquiring a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, deception and subterfuge and one count adulteration and misbranding with intent to defraud and mislead, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
In Thalblum's guilty plea, she admitted she was an unlawful user of and suffering from addiction to fentanyl. She used her position as a nurse to gain access to the highly addictive opioid at her work and diverted it for her own use. She would "carefully" refill vials of fentanyl with saline using needles to appear as if they were still full, according to the department.
U.S. district Court Judge C.J. Williams sentenced Thalblum on Friday, Jan. 21 to 5 years of probation and fined her $10,000 for her crimes, according to the department. She must also forfeit her nursing license.
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