HARTFORD, CT (April 9, 2025) — A nurse from Pelham, New York, admitted to stealing and tampering with vials of hydromorphone and fentanyl from a surgical clinic in Stamford, Connecticut, where she worked, federal authorities announced Monday.
Kristen Carotenuto, 35, of Pelham, NY waived her right to be indicted and pleaded guilty on April 7 before U.S. District Judge Vernon D. Oliver in Hartford to tampering with a consumer product, an offense carrying a maximum prison term of 10 years, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Marc H. Silverman for the District of Connecticut.
Court documents reveal that Carotenuto, employed at an outpatient surgical center in Stamford, had access to a secure storage area containing controlled substances. In December 2024, she removed several vials of hydromorphone and fentanyl, took them home, extracted the drugs with a syringe for personal use, and refilled the vials with saline or water. She then returned the tampered vials to the storage area, where they could be distributed for patient use.
“Carotenuto’s actions endangered patients by compromising the integrity of these powerful medications,” Silverman said in a statement.
Fernando McMillan, Special Agent in Charge of the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations New York Field Office, and Stephen P. Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England, joined Silverman in announcing the guilty plea.
Judge Oliver scheduled Carotenuto’s sentencing for June 30. She remains released on a $25,000 bond pending sentencing and has surrendered her nursing license.
The investigation involves the FDA Office of Criminal Investigations, the DEA’s Hartford Diversion Control Division, and the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, Drug Control Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ray Miller is prosecuting the case.