Chesapeake nurse pleads guilty to taking medications intended to treat patients in pain

NORFOLK, Va. - A Chesapeake woman pled guilty on April 24 to obtaining controlled substances by fraud.

According to court documents, from January 2023 to March 2024, Michelle Kollmar, 56, was a Registered Nurse working at a healthcare facility. Among Kollmar's responsibilities was treating patients suffering from, among other afflictions, sickle-cell anemia or who were in cancer comfort care. These patients had patient-controlled analgesia pumps to dispense medication when they were in pain.

Kollmar used patients' personal identifying information to access Omnicells, which are automated prescription drug dispensing machines, and diverted vials of hydromorphone. She would later replace the vials in the Omnicell with syringes, including with doses that were about to expire. Kollmar also accessed the Omnicell when she was off work and should not have been in the hospital.

Multiple videos showed Kollmar diverting and replacing hydromorphone vials in Omnicells. Lab analysis revealed that some of the replacement syringes did not contain any hydromorphone and were found to be mostly water, while one was suspected of being diluted Dilaudid.

During the investigation Kollmar tested positive for hydromorphone, though it was not prescribed to her, and admitted that she used the hydromorphone she had taken.

Kollmar is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 27 and faces up to 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration's Washington Division, and the Virginia State Police investigated this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Clayton D. LaForge is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District CourtLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACERLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-103.