According to the report, Steven Beumel injected himself with Fentanyl shots intended for patients and then refilling the same syringes with saline solution. The product tampering took place from 2006 through 2008 at the Mayo Clinic’s interventional radiology unit. As a result, five patients contracted hepatitis C, with one case resulting in death.
The Mayo Clinic, as well as state and federal officials, partnered together for three years to determine how the hepatitis C outbreak occurred. Eventually, the infections were linked back to Mr. Beumel, who was fired by Mayo and arrested in May 2011.
Last Friday, Mr. Beumel pled guilty to “tampering with a consumer product resulting in death, four counts of tampering with a consumer product resulting in serious bodily injury and five counts of stealing Fentanyl by deception” in federal court, according to the report. Mr. Beumel alleged he did not know he had hepatitis C, but the judge ruled he must have known the risks his actions posed to patients.
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