SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A former Utah nurse has pleaded guilty to stealing painkillers and infecting several patients with hepatitis C.
The Salt Lake Tribune reports 53-year-old Elet Neilson pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to tampering with a consumer product and fraudulently obtaining a controlled substance.
Court documents show Neilson admitted to injecting herself with painkillers meant for patients before giving the drug to them while she worked as an emergency room nurse at an Ogden hospital.
Consequently, seven people contracted the hepatitis C Neilson carries, though state official said Neilson exposed as many as 7,200 patients to the infection.
The former nurse teared up as she told the courtroom she accepts full responsibility for her actions.
Neilson will be sentenced in December. She faces up to ten years in prison.
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Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune, http://www.sltrib.com
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