Bert Sieler swapped patient pain pills with Tylenol

Minnesota has seen a rise in theft of medical drugs over the past few years.

Formerly a nurse at a senior care assisted-living facility, Sieler was accused of stealing patients' Perocet from the bottle by swapping the pills out with generic Tylenol.

Theft of medical drugs have been on the rise in Minnesota lately, and by all accounts, law enforcement is cracking down. Just last month, we reported the story of Travis Boubonnais, another employee at an assisted-living facility, who was sentenced to four years in prison for stealing Vicodin.

From 2005 to 2011, Minnesota saw 250 reports of stolen or lost medical drugs at health care facilities, according to a recent study released by the Controlled Substance Diversion Coalition. Not including retail pharmacies, there were 16 reports of thefts or loss in 2006, while in 2010, there were 52.

Read more on the Minnesota Department of Health website.

Sieler was convicted of one count of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud, and sentenced to one year in prison.

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