Nurse Anesthetist Sentenced to Federal Prison for Fentanyl Diversion at Dubuque Hospital

A nurse anesthetist who diverted fentanyl for his own use was sentenced on April 2, 2025, to three months in federal prison.  Ian Lindsey, age 42, from Mineral Point, Wisconsin, received the prison term after November 13, 2024, guilty pleas to one count of acquiring a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, deception, and subterfuge, and one count of false statement relating to health care matters.

In a plea agreement, and at his sentencing hearing, Lindsey admitted, and the evidence showed that, no later than 2017, he was diverting significant amounts of fentanyl and other drugs from a hospital in Platteville, Wisconsin.  The hospital was purchasing fentanyl above monthly limits, yet its supply was still consistently out.  Lindsey also illegally accessed patient records and made false statements in patient records at the Platteville hospital.  Lindsey was “shaky” and “falling asleep at surgery bedside.”  The Platteville hospital fired Lindsey in 2017.

Lindsey’s criminal conduct later resumed at a hospital in Dubuque, Iowa.  From October 2022 to at least January 25, 2023, Lindsey diverted fentanyl from nearly 50 patients at the Dubuque hospital.  Lindsey also again illegally accessed the medical records of six patients and made false statements in the medical records of another, making it appear that he had given that patient fentanyl for her pain when he had not done so.       

Lindsey has a serious criminal history dating back to 2004.  Most significantly, Lindsey has four convictions in Wisconsin for drunk driving, including a 2024 conviction for fourth offense operating with prohibited alcohol content.  In three of the convictions, Lindsey’s blood alcohol content was .240% or higher.

Lindsey was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Lindsey was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment, 6 months of home confinement, and fined $5,000.  He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Lindsey maintains valid nursing licenses in multiple states despite his criminal history and conduct.  At the sentencing hearing, Chief Judge Williams found Lindsey had committed a “gross abuse of trust,” encouraged Lindsey to stay out of the medical profession, and indicated the relevant licensing boards had done a disservice to the public and Lindsey by not taking any action against his nursing licenses over the years.

Lindsey was released on the bond previously set and is to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on a date yet to be set.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy L. Vavricek and investigated by the Iowa Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.  

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

The case file number is 24-CR-1035-CJW.

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