In a federal courtroom in Kansas City, Missouri, Roman Peplinski, MD, 37, of Kansas City, please guilty to acquiring prescription fentanyl from Lakewood Medical Center in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. 

Dr. Peplinski, an anesthesiologist at Union Hill Group, confessed to obtaining the controlled substance under false pretenses on November 5, 2022.

According to court documents, the 37-year-old misrepresented that the fentanyl was for a patient who had already been discharged earlier that day, according to a DEA press release. 

Further investigation revealed that Dr. Peplinski withdrew fentanyl from three vials between September 1, 2022, and November 30, 2022. Concerns were raised in February 2023 when personnel at Lakewood Medical Center reported signs of tampering with fentanyl vials in an automated dispensing cabinet. Subsequent tests conducted by the FDA's Forensic Chemistry Center confirmed the vials showed evidence of unauthorized access. 

Dr. Peplinski pleaded guilty to one count of obtaining a controlled substance through deceptive means, facing a maximum sentence of 4 years in federal prison without parole. The sentencing will be determined based on advisory guidelines and other statutory factors, with a hearing scheduled post a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

The investigation was conducted jointly by the DEA and the FDA-Office of Criminal Investigations, underscoring the collaborative efforts to combat illicit drug diversion within the health care system.