Vanessa Roberts Avery, the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Tara Severino, 58, from West Haven, was sentenced to two years of probation by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny in Hartford. The first six months of her sentence will be served under home confinement. This sentencing follows Severino's actions while employed as a nurse at the West Haven VA Medical Center.
Severino worked as a registered nurse in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in West Haven. From January to July 2023, she ingested fentanyl, hydromorphone, and oxycodone intended for patients under her care.
Court documents revealed that Severino consumed "waste" narcotics—administering part of a substance to a patient and ingesting the remainder herself. In one case, she introduced fentanyl into a braindead patient's system multiple times over nine days after claiming to observe signs of pain and seizures.
Severino also ingested doses of hydromorphone and fentanyl meant for dying veterans. This behavior influenced treatment decisions by other medical staff who were misled into believing patients had received their prescribed narcotics.
In another instance, Severino volunteered to care for an unassigned patient and diverted pain medication before his death. To conceal her actions, she falsified VA medical records and tracking systems to indicate proper administration or disposal of narcotics.
On June 18, 2024, Severino pleaded guilty to obtaining controlled substances through fraud or subterfuge.
The investigation was conducted by the Department of Veterans Affairs' Office of the Inspector General with assistance from the DEA New Haven’s Tactical Diversion Squad and the West Haven Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Lembo prosecuted the case.