A former nurse at Suffolk County House of Correction has been arraigned under multiple drug-related charges, as reported by the Suffolk District Attorney’s Office. Mary Forte, a 69-year-old Boston resident, faces two counts each of obtaining a drug by fraud, larceny of a drug, and one count of document forgery, following allegations of diverting Methadone and Suboxone from the corrections facility. According to the Suffolk District Attorney’s Office, Forte was released on personal recognizance by Judge Dana Pierce and is scheduled for a court appearance on December 2 for a counsel appointment.
An inquiry by the Department of Public Health’s Drug Control Program that began in December 2023 uncovered the possible diversion of narcotics by Forte. Investigative reports indicate that Forte engaged in improperly discarding narcotics and forging signatures of fellow nurses in the Narcotic Waste Book for what could be upwards of two years. Hospital procedures stipulate the requirement of two nurses to administer the destruction of any medication, which should be in view of a surveillance camera for compliance checks. However, Forte was observed disposing of significant quantities of drugs unaccompanied by a colleague, one time even forging the signature of a nurse who was on vacation.
Further investigation brought to light instances where Forte was seen removing Suboxone from its packaging in an unsupervised office, complicating efforts to substantiate actual drug destruction once she returned to a monitored area. According to the Suffolk District Attorney’s Office, the observance of her entering a back office with Methadone bottles and not returning with them or pouring them out raises additional red flags. “Drug controls and protocols in jails and prisons are in place for good reasons, including the fact that many inmates are incarcerated for drug distribution and trafficking charges,” District Attorney Kevin Hayden stated, noting that the security measures in place helped reveal the breach in protocol…