KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – A Kansas City nurse forged opioid prescriptions, got caught and is now banned for life from federally funded hospitals.
Brooke Haller, 41, pleaded guilty to a single count of possession of a controlled substance by deception and subterfuge, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas.
How the Scheme Worked
Haller previously worked as a registered nurse at a hospital in Kansas City, Kansas. Prosecutors say she used her position to steal a nurse practitioner’s prescription pad and DEA number.
Starting in March 2024, authorities note that Haller used that stolen information to write forged prescriptions for Percocet and Oxycodone – listing her relatives’ names on the prescriptions.
Prosecutors add that Haller would fill the prescriptions at pharmacies in both Kansas and Missouri.
How She Got Caught
Investigators say the scheme unraveled in October 2024, when a pharmacy called the hospital to verify an Oxycodone prescription allegedly written by the nurse practitioner.
The nurse practitioner told investigators she only writes electronic prescriptions and had never spoken to Haller or given her access to her prescription pad or DEA number.
When Haller realized investigators were closing in, prosecutors say she tried to cover her tracks.
FILE – Several 5-mg pills of Oxycodone(Keith Srakocic | AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File)
Court records show that Haller called the hospital multiple times, pretending to be a pharmacy employee and claiming the prescription questions were made in error.
Prosecutors note that Haller spoofed the pharmacy’s phone number and used vocal disguises – including posing as a man named “Peter” – but staff recognized her voice.
The Full Scope of the Fraud
The DEA says Haller later admitted that she forged 13 prescriptions in total.
Court records show she obtained:
- 90 Percocet tablets from a Kansas pharmacy
- 540 Oxycodone tablets from a Kansas pharmacy
- 1,350 Oxycodone tablets from a Missouri pharmacy
The Sentence
Prosecutors indicate that Haller was sentenced to 3 years of probation and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine.
She also lost her nursing license and received a lifetime ban from working at any hospital that receives federal funding.
What Prosecutors Are Saying
U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser says the case reflects a troubling trend.
“While this was a unique case, unfortunately, cases involving health care workers gaining unauthorized access to prescription narcotics are becoming more common,” Kriegshauser adds. “These professionals spent years studying and building their careers just to throw it all away, usually because of addiction. Health care professionals facing addiction need to seek help before it’s too late. Otherwise, we must make sure they are stopped for the safety of the patients they serve.”
FILE — an arrangement of Oxycodone pills (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)
DEA St. Louis Field Division Special Agent in Charge Steven Hofer notes that the crime had real victims.
“The diversion of pharmaceutical drugs is not a victimless crime,” Hofer states. “Brooke Haller took advantage of a system intended to assist patients and violated the trust of those truly in need. Our DEA investigators did a fine job building a case that showed the copious amounts of fraud committed by Haller. As a result, she will no longer be allowed to practice in Kansas.”
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