(KIWA) — A Le Mars man has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison after admitting to diverting large amounts of controlled substances while working as a registered nurse.
Forty-nine-year-old Chad Hoppe was sentenced last week in federal court in Sioux City following his March 9 guilty plea to false statements relating to health care matters and aggravated identity theft.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Hoppe diverted fentanyl and Dilaudid between May 2024 and March 2025. The medications were withdrawn under the claim that they would be administered to patients, but investigators determined Hoppe instead used the substances personally.
Authorities say Hoppe also failed to complete required health care records or falsified the paperwork associated with the medications. During that period, Hoppe was licensed as a registered nurse in Iowa.
Federal prosecutors say Hoppe entered false narcotics orders and claimed he had authorization from a licensed physician when no such permission had been given.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office described the amount of medication diverted as “staggering.” In March 2025, while working as a supervisor, Hoppe reportedly withdrew more than 9,000 micrograms of fentanyl. The next-highest staff member at the same facility withdrew approximately 700 micrograms during that month.
U.S. District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand sentenced Hoppe to 30 months in prison and ordered him to pay a $1,000 fine. Hoppe must also complete one year of supervised release after serving his prison sentence.
There is no parole in the federal prison system.
Hoppe was allowed to remain free under the conditions of his previously established bond. He will surrender to the Federal Bureau of Prisons on a date that has not yet been determined.
