Former Hospital Registered Nurse Indicted, Charged with Prescription Drug Fraud
BRISTOL – A joint investigation by special agents assigned to TBI’s Medicaid Fraud Control Division and TBI’s Drug Investigation Division has resulted in an indictment charging a former hospital registered nurse accused of diverting prescription narcotics for her own benefit.
In December 2025, agents began investigating allegations involving Heather Nicole Leonard, a registered nurse at Bristol Regional Medical Center. Agents, working with the assistance of the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations, developed information that Leonard took Oxycodone tablets intended for patients in her care. The hospital terminated Leonard’s employment shortly after the allegations surfaced.
Last month, the Sullivan County Grand Jury returned an indictment, charging Leonard (DOB 11/12/87) with one count of Prescription Drug Fraud. Today, she surrendered to authorities at the Sullivan County Jail, where she was booked and subsequently released after posting $10,000 bond.
The charges and allegations referenced in this release are merely accusations of criminal conduct and not evidence. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and convicted through due process of law.
NOTE: The TBI’s Medicaid Fraud Control Division receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $11,616,724 for federal Fiscal Year 2025-2026. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $3,872,240 for Fiscal Year 2025-2026, is funded by the State of Tennessee.
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