KANSAS CITY, Mo. — An anesthesiologist from Kansas City, Missouri, has pleaded guilty in federal court for illegally taking fentanyl from a Lee’s Summit hospital.
Roman Peplinski, 37, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty Thursday before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to a federal indictment that charges him with one count of obtaining a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception, or subterfuge.
According to court documents, since 2018, Peplinski has been employed as an anesthesiologist at Union Hill Group in Kansas City. He worked at Lakewood Medical Center in Lee’s Summit and Truman Medical Center in Kansas City, which are both part of University Health.
Peplinski admitted that he illegally obtained fentanyl from Lakewood Medical Center in November of 2022. Peplinski misrepresented that the fentanyl was for a patient, when in reality, that patient had been discharged from Lakewood Medical Center earlier that day. Fentanyl was not listed under the “medication orders” on the patient’s chart for the hospital visit, according to court records.
Peplinski also admitted to withdrawing fentanyl from three vials from Sept. 2022, through Nov. 2022.
In Feb. 2023, personnel from Lakewood Medical Center reported to the Drug Enforcement Administration that three vials of fentanyl in an automated dispensing cabinet showed signs of tampering, according to court documents.
The DOJ says it has no evidence that any patients were harmed as a result of Peplinski tampering with vials of fentanyl.
A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.