CONCORD, N.H. -- A former traveling medical technician who stole drugs and infected more than 40 patients with hepatitis C will remain in prison after a judge called his request for compassionate release "the least meritorious" he'd ever seen.
Hepatitis C is a viral infection that attacks the liver. In all, 32 patients were infected in New Hampshire, seven in Maryland, six in Kansas and one in Pennsylvania. Kwiatkowski also worked in Michigan, New York, Arizona and Georgia. And victims contacted recently ahead of Thursday's hearing were deeply troubled by the idea that someone who gave them a long-term, potentially deadly disease would seek early release based on his own medical concerns, he said.
"For these extra cruel and callous crimes, the relief requested would not be justice," he said. "I think sentencing relief this early in the sentence, under these circumstances ... would actually undermine respect for the law in the community.""Chances are, I'll do all my time," he said. "I'm prepared for that, but I would like to show the court I am a new man.
At his sentencing hearing, Kwiatkowski apologized to his victims, saying his crime was caused by an addiction to painkillers and alcohol. He later claimed he pleaded guilty under extreme emotional distress, that his mental state should have been in question for agreeing to the deal and that his sentence should have been much lower.
(Unlike Keith Richards), This guy sure helps give opioid addicts a bad name!
Lock him up