A Chesapeake nurse has pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining opioids meant for patients, say prosecutors, and faces up to 15 years in prison.
CHESAPEAKE, Va. — A Chesapeake woman has pleaded guilty to obtaining controlled substances by fraud after admitting to diverting pain medication intended for patients under her care.
According to federal court documents, Michelle Kollmar, 56, entered her guilty plea on April 24. Prosecutors say that between January 2023 and March 2024, Kollmar worked as a registered nurse at a healthcare facility, where she treated patients with serious conditions, including sickle-cell anemia and those receiving cancer comfort care.
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Many of those patients relied on patient-controlled analgesia pumps to manage severe pain. Authorities say Kollmar used patients’ personal identifying information to access Omnicell machines, automated systems used to dispense medications, and removed vials of hydromorphone, a powerful opioid.
Investigators say she replaced the vials with syringes, some of which contained little to no medication. Laboratory testing found that certain syringes contained mostly water, while others appeared to contain diluted Dilaudid, a brand name for hydromorphone.
Court records state Kollmar also accessed the medication dispensing system while off duty, when she was not authorized to be in the hospital. Surveillance video captured multiple instances of her removing and replacing medication.
During the investigation, Kollmar tested positive for hydromorphone without a valid prescription and admitted to using the drugs she had taken, according to prosecutors.
She is scheduled to be sentenced on August 27 and faces up to 15 years in prison. A federal judge will determine her sentence after considering federal guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case was investigated by the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Washington Division, and the Virginia State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Clayton D. LaForge is prosecuting the case.