A former Utah nurse pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal charges, admitting that she stole hospital painkillers and infected seven patients with a rare strain of hepatitis C.
Elet Neilson, 53, agreed to a plea deal that allows for U.S. District Judge Dee Benson to sentence her to prison for up to 10 years.
She pleaded guilty to two counts of tampering with a consumer product and two counts of fraudulently obtaining a controlled substance. A dozen similar charges were dismissed as part of the deal.
In plea agreement documents, Neilson admitted that when she was an emergency room nurse at McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden, she diverted painkillers meant for patients and injected herself with the drugs before administering the drugs to others.