Home / Crime and Justice / Nurse Accused of Distributing Counterfeit Ozempic in Chicago
Nurse Accused of Distributing Counterfeit Ozempic in Chicago
15 Jan
Summary
- A nurse was charged with distributing counterfeit Ozempic to patients.
- The counterfeit drugs did not contain the active ingredient semaglutide.
- The registered nurse faces up to a year in federal prison per count.
Federal prosecutors have charged a registered nurse, Sharon Charitine Sackman, 52, with distributing counterfeit Ozempic to patients in Chicago during 2023. The criminal complaint states the drugs were mislabeled and did not contain semaglutide, the essential active ingredient in the popular weight-loss medication.
Although Sackman is a registered nurse, she did not possess a license to prescribe, administer, dispense, or sell Ozempic. She now resides in Playa de Carmen, Mexico, and faces charges including distributing misbranded drugs and dispensing counterfeit drugs. Each offense carries a potential one-year federal prison sentence.
Sackman was arraigned in U.S. District Court in Chicago and pleaded not guilty. A status hearing is scheduled for February 3, where she will appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Laura K. McNally. Ozempic is primarily prescribed for Type 2 diabetes but is widely used for weight loss due to its appetite-suppressing effects.
