RICHMOND, Va — A Henrico nurse has pled guilty to federal charges that were part of the U.S. Department of Justice's recent "Health Care Fraud Takedown," according to court records. Last month, prosecutors filed three counts of criminal tampering with consumer products against Cristina Schasse.
Court records showed Schasse was employed at HCA's Chippenham and Johnston-Willis Medical Center as a certified registered nurse anesthetist, and the alleged offenses dated back to June through August of 2023. A spokesperson for the hospitals' parent company HCA said Schasse was "employed by a contractor at our hospitals, provided care from December 2022 through August 2023, when her contract was terminated."
On three occasions, prosecutors said Schasse tampered with a medication dispensing machine by drawing syringes of fentanyl and a sedative called Versed, which is a controlled substance, and put them in her pockets.
She then allegedly prepared syringes of a non-controlled sedative mixed with saline and then marked those syringes with pre-printed labels misidentifying them as either fentanyl or Versed and put them back in the machine. These medication swaps were caught on surveillance video.
According to the facts of the case, which were agreed upon by both the prosecution and defense, Schasse administered the bogus mixture to two dozen patients during medical procedures and admitted to stealing and replacing the drugs more than 30 times.
On August 2, 2023, a supervisor instructed Schasse "to leave her workstation" and "not to touch the syringes that remained on her workstation." The case filings state that in response, and before she could be stopped, Schasse "emptied the contents of the syringes in an effort to destroy the evidence showing that she was pocketing syringes containing fentanyl and Versed."
The case filings state the nurse committed these actions with "reckless disregard for the risk that another person would be placed in danger of death or bodily injury and under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to such risk, and were not committed by mistake, accident, or other innocent reason."
According to the plea deal, Schasse has agreed to permanently surrender her advanced practice registered nurse license in Virginia and to never again directly or indirectly administer controlled substances.
The Department of Health Professions (DHP) license database shows Schasse's nursing license is still active, with no recent or past disciplinary actions taken against her by the Board of Nursing, despite the incidents taking place two years ago. A DHP spokesperson said she could not comment on or confirm any investigations due to confidentiality laws but said generally the administrative process is handled separately from criminal proceedings. DHP can have its own ongoing investigation alongside a DOJ probe, she said.
State Corporation Commission filings list Schasse as the registered agent of the Lucid Med Spa in Henrico, which was formed in February 2024. The spa's social media listed Schasse as an owner and licensed aesthetic injector. Its website lists services such as anti-aging injections and fillers.
CBS 6 reached out to Schasse directly, her defense attorney, and the medic spa seeking comment but has not heard back.
Schasse is scheduled to be sentenced in federal court in October.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
📲: CONNECT WITH US
Blue Sky | Facebook | Instagram | X | Threads | TikTok | YouTube
