What to Know
- Federal prosecutors say a former pharmacy technician stole more than $8.2 million worth of prescription HIV medication from a Veterans Affairs hospital in northern New Jersey
- Lisa Hoffman is charged with theft of medical products, The 48-year-old Orange resident was due to make her initial court appearance Wednesday afternoon
- Prosecutors say she stole the drugs and sold them to another conspirator for cash. That person then resold the drugs to other people
A former pharmacy technician stole more than $8.2 million worth of prescription HIV medication from a Veterans Affairs hospital in northern New Jersey, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday.
Lisa Hoffman, 48, of Orange, is charged with theft of medical products, She was due to make her initial court appearance Wednesday afternoon, and it wasn't known if she's retained an attorney.
Hoffman worked at the hospital in East Orange, where she was responsible for ordering drugs and supplies for the site's outpatient pharmacy and maintaining its inventory.
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From at least August 2017 through November 2019, prosecutors said Hoffman used her position to steal prescription HIV medication from the hospital. She placed large orders for the medication, purportedly on behalf of the hospital, then stole it after it was delivered, prosecutors said.
Hospital surveillance footage captured Hoffman regularly taking dozens of bottles of HIV medications from the pharmacy shelves and eventually putting them in her bag, then leave the hospital with the stolen medication, prosecutors said.
Hoffman would routinely meet with another conspirator and sell him the stolen medications for cash. The conspirator would then sell the medications to other people.
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Hoffman could face up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine if convicted.
