On Tuesday, former surgical technician Rocky Allen pled guilty to charges of tampering with a consumer product and obtaining a controlled substance by deceit, according to The Denver Post.
In January, Swedish Medical Center in Englewood, Colo., fired Mr. Allen after he was witnessed stealing a fentanyl-filled syringe and swapping it with a syringe filled with saline solution. The former surgical technician's sentence could hinge on whether or not he introduced contaminated needles into circulation at the hospital.
According to the Post, U.S. District Court Judge Raymond Moore requested the probation department to investigate whether Mr. Allen had previously used the saline syringe that was exchanged for the fentanyl syringe.
"I believe that is an important factor in sentencing," said Mr. Moore.
The needle-swapping incident prompted Swedish Medical Center to offer nearly 3,000 patients free testing for HIV and hepatitis B and C. The incident also incited several other hospitals in Arizona, California and Washington that formerly employed Mr. Allen to warn patients of possible infection risk. Mr. Allen is HIV positive, but no public disclosures have been made as to whether his actions have led to patient infections.
According to the Post, prosecutors have stated Mr. Allen will likely face a prison term between 7 years and 3 months and 11 years, though the sentence could be more than 17 years. Fines leveled upon Mr. Allen could reach $300,000.
During the hearing, Timothy O'Hara, an assistant public defender and Mr. Allen's attorney, argued that his client's crimes were linked to the post-traumatic stress disorder Mr. Allen developed while stationed with the Navy at a hospital in Afghanistan.
According to the Post, Mr. O'Hara said, "The root of all of this is PTSD. It is all about drug abuse."
Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 13.