A federal district judge in South Florida has sentenced a registered nurse to prison for more than two years for tampering with medical-grade fentanyl meant to treat patients’ pain during their cardiac catheterization procedures at a Miami hospital. Emmanuel Valentin, 40, of Miami, admitted the conduct on December 13, 2024, pleading guilty to tampering with consumer products. Valentin worked as a registered nurse at a Miami hospital’s cardiac catheterization lab. While on duty from July 10 to August 18, 2023, Valentin used a syringe to extract liquid painkillers (medical-grade fentanyl and midazolam) from their vials for his personal use. He replaced them with saline solution, knowing that the liquid in the vials would be dispensed to hospital patients for pain relief during medical procedures, such as cardiac catheterization and stent placement. In addition, Valentin retrieved empty and discarded vials from the biohazard waste disposal bin, filled them with saline, and used them to replace vials that he stole. This waste disposal bin contained other contaminated medical waste. Valentin’s conduct not only exposed patients to the risk of unnecessary pain, it also put them at risk of contracting Hepatitis C and other bloodborne disease infections.
