TAMPA — A 37-year-old Seminole nurse who stole injectable fentanyl, morphine and hydromorphone from a Tampa Bay area hospital and replaced them with saline has been sentenced to two years in federal prison, United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announced.
U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven imposed the sentence on Lauren Hornbuckle, a Florida-licensed registered nurse who pleaded guilty to tampering with a consumer product on Aug. 6, 2025. Between November 2023 and March 2024, Hornbuckle removed controlled substances from their containers at the hospital, substituted saline and returned the tampered containers into circulation for use on other patients.
The drugs Hornbuckle stole — morphine, hydromorphone and fentanyl — are among the most potent painkillers administered in hospital settings. According to court documents, she used the stolen narcotics for her own personal use while patients unknowingly received saline instead of prescribed pain medication.
Federal prosecutors said Hornbuckle “acted with reckless disregard for the risk that patients would be in danger of bodily injury and under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to such risk.” The scheme exposed an unknown number of patients to inadequate pain treatment and potential medical complications during the roughly five-month period.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Greg Pizzo prosecuted the case in the Middle District of Florida.