Former Nurse Sentenced to Federal Prison for Stealing Fentanyl and Other Controlled Substances

A Sioux City, Iowa nurse who stole fentanyl, morphine, hydromorphone, and hydrocodone was sentenced today to 9 months in federal prison.

Morgan Miralles, age 32, from Sioux City, Iowa, received the prison term after an August 30, 2023, guilty plea to one count of acquiring a controlled substance by means of misrepresentation, fraud, deception and subterfuge, and one count of false statements relating to health care matters.

Evidence in the case revealed that as early as April 2020, and continuing through August 2022, Miralles diverted controlled substances that were supposed to be dispensed to patients and kept them for her for her own personal use. Miralles falsified documents on an almost weekly basis by omitting information from log entries designed to track the disbursement of controlled substances. Miralles further admitted that in a “petty and vindictive” act of revenge, she stole vials of Benedryl after not receiving a promotion.

Miralles was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand 9 months’ imprisonment.  She must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Miralles was released on the bond previously set and is to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons a date to be determined.

The case was investigated by the Iowa Department of Inspections & Appeals, Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Drug Enforcement Administration and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ron Timmons.  

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 23-4049.

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