A medical inspector has been charged 39 years in federal prison for allegedly inflicting hepatitis among dozens of patients, the LA Times reports.
David M. Kwiatkowski, 41, worked at various medical facilities in New York, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Kansas, Georgia and New Hampshire since 2007. In 2010, he was diagnosed with hepatitis C, a potentially lethal viral disease that can inflict extreme damage to a person's liver. Kwiatkowski also claimed that he is suffering from Chron's disease, a type of digestive ailment. He also admitted to stealing painkillers and replacing them with saline-filled syringes tainted with his own blood.
Court documents showed that by 2012, he was drinking a fifth of vodka daily on top of him downing approximately 80 milligrams of OxyContin because he couldn't get a hold of his preferred drug of choice known as fentanyl. Officials reported that David even devised a plan to steal fentanyl from hospitals. A total of 32 patients diagnosed with hepatitis from Exeter Hospital in New Hampshire; six patients from Johns Hopkins in Baltimore; and one patient from VA Medical Center in Baltimore are being linked to him.
Kwiatkowski pleaded guilty and prosecutors pushed for a 40-year sentence, claiming he created a "national public health crisis," put a number of people at risk and caused physical and emotional harm to his victims. However, his defense lawyers argued that a 30-year sentence is more favorable because it can balance out the seriousness of the crimes against the client's mental and emotional issues, as well as addiction to alcohol and drugs, FOX News reports.
Linda Ficken, 71, was one of the two victims from Kansas. She told the Associated Press that she has struggled with fatigue since her diagnosis and was unable to donate blood for her brother who was recently diagnosed with leukemia because she has hepatitis C.
