Former assisted living facility worker pleads guilty to stealing pain medication from patients

A 39-year-old Idaho woman accused of stealing pain medication from patients while working at an assisted living facility in Kalispell in 2023 pleaded guilty in federal court last week.  

Nicole Elice Anderson of Post Falls, Idaho entered a guilty plea to one count of unlawfully obtaining controlled substances in U.S. District Court in Missoula on Nov. 1. Anderson faces up to four years in prison, a $250,000 fine and one year of supervised release. 

Prosecutors accused Anderson of replacing oxycodone and hydrocodone meant for patients with over-the-counter pain medications between February and March 2023. Drug Enforcement Administration agents began investigating the scheme after 120 hydrocodone tablets for a single patient were reported missing in March 2023, according to court documents. The tablets were swapped out with Tylenol.