Former KC Paramedic Pleads Guilty to Stealing Narcotics

A former Kansas City, MO Fire Department paramedic pleaded guilty in federal court this week to stealing fentanyl and morphine from ambulances for his own personal use.

The U.S. Attorney's Office says in a press release that 37-year old Michael L. Fostich, of Kansas City, pleaded guilty to obtaining a controlled substance (fentanyl and morphine) by "misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception and subterfuge."

Fostich was employed at the Kansas City Fire Department (KCFD) as a paramedic from August 2014 to December 11, 2016. He had access to fentanyl and morphine, which were stored in sealed narcotics boxes and locked in safes on ambulances.

Each sealed narcotics box reportedly contained two vials of fentanyl, each containing 100 micrograms of liquid fentanyl, and two syringes of morphine, each containing 10 milligrams of liquid morphine. As a paramedic, Fostich was able to unlock the electronic safe and open the sealed narcotics boxes in order to administer controlled substances to patients, if necessary, according to the press release.

By pleading guilty, Fostich admitted that he stole fentanyl and morphine from the ambulances for his own personal use. He also reportedly admitted that he prepared patient care records and state reporting forms that contained misrepresentations regarding his use of the narcotics.

From January - December 2016, Fostich reported he was responsible for the use, administration, or wasting of 806 doses of fentanyl, which accounted for approximately 39% of all of the KCFD’s total reported use, administration and wasting of fentanyl during that period of time.

Fostich also reported similar action with morphine.

Under federal statutes, Fostich is subject to a sentence of up to four years in federal prison without parole.

A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.