United States Attorney James R. Dedrick
Eastern District of Tennessee
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MONDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2008
RUTH ANNETTE WILSON SENTENCED
[GREENEVILLE, TENNESSEE] Ruth Annette Wilson, 41, of Jonesborough, Tennessee, was sentenced to serve twelve (12) months and one (1) day in federal prison and placed on supervised release for a period of one (1) year in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Greeneville, by the Honorable J. Ronnie Greer, United States District Judge. The sentence was the result of a guilty plea by Wilson to an information charging her with obtaining controlled substances by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception, and subterfuge. The court also ordered Wilson to immediately surrender her nursing license to the Tennessee Department of Health and to avoid future employment which involves exposure to controlled substances.
Wilson was a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) who worked at the nursing home located at the James H. Quillen Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Mountain Home, Tennessee. She took oxycodone and hydromorphone prescribed for patients who suffered from terminal illnesses and who were recuperating from surgery. Some of her patients were not cognitive and all of her victims were vulnerable victims. Wilson had responsibility for twenty-two (22) patients. The VA medical and nursing staff acted quickly to protect patient safety and comfort immediately after Wilson was apprehended on November 20, 2007.
According to James R. “Russ” Dedrick, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee, “we cannot tolerate or accept behavior which directly and adversely affects our nation’s veterans. We owe them a special duty of care because of their service to our nation. The diversion of pain medication intended to afford dignity to the dying and to promote the recuperation of patients is a federal offense which can result in serious jail time. We will prosecute such behavior to the fullest extent of the law. Everyone should be confident that the Department of Veterans Affairs has protected the safety and comfort of Wilson’s victims.”
The Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General and the Mountain Home Police Department were involved in the investigation and subsequent information, conviction and sentencing of Wilson. The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Helen Smith.
For additional information, please contact United States Attorney Russ Dedrick, 865-545-4167, Assistant U.S. Attorney Helen Smith, 423-639-6759 x 110, or Public Information Officer Sharry Dedman-Beard, 865-545-4167.