A registered nurse from Miami has been sentenced to over two years in federal prison for tampering with medical-grade fentanyl intended for patient pain relief during cardiac procedures. Emmanuel Valentin, 40, confessed to the offense on December 13, 2024, by pleading guilty to tampering with consumer products.
Valentin was employed at a Miami hospital's cardiac catheterization lab. Between July 10 and August 18, 2023, he extracted liquid painkillers such as fentanyl and midazolam from vials using a syringe for personal use and replaced them with saline solution. This substitution was made knowing that the altered vials would be used on patients undergoing medical procedures like cardiac catheterization and stent placement. Additionally, Valentin took empty vials from the biohazard waste disposal bin, filled them with saline, and used them to replace stolen vials. This conduct exposed patients not only to unnecessary pain but also to risks of contracting Hepatitis C and other bloodborne diseases.
The hospital terminated Valentin's employment and informed patients about potential contamination while offering free blood testing. No acute infections were reported.
In a separate state case on May 15, 2024, Valentin admitted to stealing fentanyl from another Miami-area hospital in March 2023.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and Acting Special Agent in Charge Kerry Mannion of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Office of Criminal Investigations (FDA-OCI), Miami Field Office.
The investigation was conducted by FDA-OCI Miami and the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office. The case was prosecuted by AUSA Timothy Abraham.
Further information can be accessed through the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida website or related court documents on the District Court for the Southern District of Florida's website under case number 24-cr-20435.