DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Amber June Hyatt, 47, Evergreen, was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison in addition to two years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to one count of tampering with a consumer product.
According to the plea agreement, in June of 2023, Hyatt was a surgical assistant for an oral surgery practice in Littleton. During that timeframe, Hyatt’s roommate found several fentanyl vials and safety caps from the tops of fentanyl vials in a plastic bag in her purse in their home. The roommate reported the findings to the oral surgery practice who reported a possible theft to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. A subsequent investigation discovered that boxes of fentanyl citrate in the practice’s controlled substance safe had been tampered with. Upon testing the substance in a subset of the tampered vials, a laboratory determined seven of the vials contained a replacement liquid and one of those vials was also contaminated with bacteria.
“Unsuspecting patients are put at serious risk when crimes like this are committed in healthcare practices,” said United States Attorney for the District of Colorado Peter McNeilly. “Would-be fentanyl thieves should take note that this behavior gets you a ticket to federal prison.”
“Medical professionals must serve as a bulwark against prescription drug abuse. When surgical assistants violate the trust of the physicians they work for and the patients they serve, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and its state and local partners along with the United States Attorney’s Office will step in and use every tool available to protect the public,” said DEA Rocky Mountain Field Division Diversion Program Manager George Taylor. “DEA will relentlessly pursue those who divert controlled substances and hold them accountable. There is no excuse for medical professionals to break the law in pursuit of their own gratification.”
“People depend on their healthcare providers to provide safe and effective medication when needed for pain relief,” said Acting Special Agent In Charge Jonathan Lamb, Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations, Kansas City Field Office. “The FDA will continue to hold accountable anyone who violates this trust by tampering with patients’ medication and compromising their care.”
United States District Judge S. Kato Crews presided over the sentencing.
The investigation was handled by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Food & Drug Administration – Office of Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Anna Edgar handled the prosecution.
Case Number: 1-25-cr-00092-SKC
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Colorado — U.S. Department of Justice press release.