Former head of the cancer pharmacy at the University of Wisconsin Hospital pled guilty Wednesday to stealing a portion of the pills from the hospital pharmacy after having charges filed against him in March.
Joseph Theisen was charged with 25 counts of prescription drug fraud. Overall, he allegedly stole around 9,400 Methadone pills — a controlled substance — from September 2006 to May 2008, according to the indictment.
The plea agreement said he pled guilty to one count of stealing 300 pills from the pharmacy in September 2006.
Attorney Peter Jarosz from the U.S. Attorney’s Office and plaintiff in the case said Theisen’s guilty plea is appropriate.
When sentencing Theisen, the court will still consider all conduct and activities related to the 25 counts cited in the indictment. This means Theisen could be charged with stealing more pills than the indictment cites, but his sentence will not exceed four years in prison and a $250,000 fine due to his guilty plea, he said.
The former pharmacist’s guilty plea limits his sentence to the maximum amount received for count one in the indictment, stealing 300 pills, Jarosz said.
Jarosz said he had no predictions for the outcome of the case.
“I trust the judge’s discretion and I know justice will be done,” he said.
Jarosz said a pre-sentence report describing Theisen’s conduct in regard to the charges would be the next step in the case. The report, written by U.S. Probation and Pretrial officers, will recommend a sentence for Theisen.
During this process, Jarosz said pleading guilty under a plea agreement would have an advantage for Theisen, as he will receive a maximum benefit and a reduction in his sentence for his acceptance of responsibility when pleading guilty.
UW Health Media Relations Director Lisa Brunette said Theisen worked at the hospital for about 20 years.
When it came to the allegations of prescription drug theft, she said UW Health acted accordingly.
“When you come across a case of this nature, the importance is to act quickly and get as much information as you can,” she said.
District Judge Lynn Adelman will sentence Theisen on July 12.
