A man from Nauvoo, Illinois, has been sentenced for diverting opioids from a healthcare facility where he worked as a pharmacist. The sentence was handed down to Josef Andres Blunier, 47, for his actions between July 2022 and July 2023.
Court documents and sentencing evidence reveal that Blunier obtained prescription pills from a hospital affiliated with the Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center. He accomplished this by ordering and not logging the pills into inventory, misrepresenting inventory destinations, and taking outdated pills without proper disposal. Altogether, Blunier diverted 10,592 Schedule II controlled substances, including oxycodone, hydromorphone, morphine, and hydrocodone. Furthermore, in 2023, Blunier took part-time work at another Iowa pharmacy and diverted more Schedule II substances from prescriptions filled for patients.
Blunier's sentence includes a three-year probation period. He is also mandated to pay restitution of $5,311.61, a fine of $5,250, and a $200 special assessment.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated this case.