A Pittsfield nurse is facing up to four years in prison for stealing fentanyl from a critical care patient
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SPRINGFIELD — A Pittsfield woman is facing up to four years in prison for stealing fentanyl that was being administered to a patient in February 2019.
Jessica Lotto, 36, admitted that she used a syringe to steal the drug from the IV line of a patient in the critical care unit at Berkshire Medical Center, according to a statement from U.S. Attorney Rachael S. Rollins. She was charged in November 2021.
Lotto pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Springfield on Tuesday to one count of acquiring a controlled substance by fraud, deceit or subterfuge. The charge calls for a potential sentence of up to four years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.
Judge Mark G. Mastroianni scheduled sentencing for Jan. 25.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Deepika Bains Shukla, who is head of Rollins’ Springfield branch office, is prosecuting the case.