JACKSONVILE, Fla. – The former Mayo Clinic technician who pleaded guilty to tampering with painkillers that resulted in Hepatitis C infections and one death was sentenced Monday to 30 years in federal prison.
Steven Beumel admitted he stole syringes of Fentanyl and replaced them with saline contaminated with Hepatitis C, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Beumel infected five patients with Hepatitis and one died as a result, the FBI said.
During a sentencing hear, a recording of Beumel's interview with detectives was played, which included an admission he stole controlled substances and using the same needle on patients he used to inject himself with the drugs. He also told police he "feels guilty" because it didn't know he had Hepatitis.
Numerous family members of victims are in the courtroom, including a man that was directly infected by Beumel. At least one of those infected by Beumel made an emotional victim impact statements during the hearing.
Charges against Beumel date back to 2006 and he's been in custody since 2011. He faces up to lifw in prison, but received a lighter sentence because he had no previous criminal history and pleaded guilty, sparing the victims and their families from a trial.
Beumel pleaded guilty to one count of 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.
Epidemiologists from the Mayo Clinic, Florida Department of Health, and the Centers for Disease Control worked for more than 3 years to solve the Hepatitis C outbreak at the Mayo Clinic.
William Rupp, CEO of Mayo Clinic in Florida, released the following statement Monday:
"Throughout this situation, Mayo Clinic has been guided by our core values to always do what is best for our patients. The care and safety of our patients is and will always remain our number one priority. We continue to extend our unfailing support to all those touched by the actions of this person."