Concord, NH — A New Hampshire medical technician has been charged for a hepatitis C outbreak that infected more than 30 patients at a hospital.

A federal grand jury indicted 33-year-old David Kwiatkowski, a former radiology technician, on seven counts of tampering with a consumer product and seven counts of obtaining controlled substances by fraud.

Prosecutors alleged that Kwiatkowski, who is infected with hepatitis C, stole syringes from Exeter Hospital and used them on himself before placing them for use on patients. He tested positive for hepatitis C in June 2010.

He faces a possible sentence of 98 years in prison and $250,000 fine.

The news report about the case said Kwiatkowski worked as a laboratory technician at several hospitals across the country.

A hospital in Pittsburgh where Kwiatkowski previously worked sent letters to 2,000 patients warning that he may have infected them with hepatitis C. Four hospitals in Maryland are testing 1,700 patients for the infection.

A July report said Kwiatkowski may have infected “tens of thousands” of patients in at least 13 hospitals.

Dr. Richard Besser told ABC News:

“If he knew that he was infected and he put those needles back on the shelf, that is the definition of evil. Anyone who was in those hospitals when he was working there is potentially at risk. We’re talking tens of thousands of people.”

Exeter Hospital had to defend itself against the accusations that it had not done enough to stop the spread of the disease. Officials said the hospital performed all required criminal background checks and drug testing.

Medical Assistant Charged In Hepatitis C Outbreak is a post from: The Inquisitr

The man accused up infecting possibly thousands of people with hepatitis C in New Hampshire had allegedly written a suicide note  the week before his arrest, saying he “couldn’t handle this stress anymore.”

The note, reported by The Associated Press, strengthens earlier police reports that the person accused of spreading Hepatitis C, David Kiwatkowski, is a harm to himself.

Kwiatkowski was accused of stealing syringes of drugs intended for patients and using them himself, then refilling them with another liquid meant to look like saline.

Kiwatkwoski was was arrested July 19 at a Massachusetts hospital, six days after police found him impaired in a hotel room scattered with prescription pills, NBCNews.com reported. Authorities had determined that he might have tried to harm himself at the time, as there was a strong odor of alcohol on Kwiatkowski’s breath.

He is being held on federal drug charges in New Hampshire, and authorities are trying to determine if he spread the virus in seven other states.

The note read, “please call Kerry and let her know I passed away. Tell her I couldn’t handle this stress anymore.” The MetroWest Daily News in Framingham, Mass., first reported details of the note.

“It was apparent from the note, pills and alcohol that David was trying to harm himself,” Officer James O’Malley wrote in a police report.

Kwiatkowski is accused of infecting people with hepatitis C while working at hospitals in several states. Authorities said determining just how many people he may have infected would be difficult because the virus mutates in the body over time.

Health authorities recommended hepatitis C testing for 4,700 people in New Hampshire, and officials still are determining who should be tested in a dozen hospitals elsewhere, the Associated Press reported. In addition to Arizona — where he was fired from one hospital after testing positive for cocaine and marijuana — Kwiatkowski also worked in hospitals in Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania moving on to Exeter Hospital in New Hampshire last year.

The exact date of Kwiatkowski’s hepatitis C infection remains unknown. He told officials that he had hepatitis C in May but federal officials believe he may have had the virus since June 2010, the Detroit News reported.

Hepatitis C Outbreak Update: Alleged “Serial Infector” Had Written Suicide Note is a post from: The Inquisitr

A recent Hepatitis C outbreak at a New Hampshire hospital has resulted in the arrest of a former employee. David Matthew Kwiatkowski, 32, was arrested in Massachusetts for ”obtaining controlled substances by fraud and tampering with a consumer product.”

The FBI reports that Kwiatkowski, who worked as a technician at  Exeter Hospital, allegedly caused “at least 30 individuals to become infected with the blood-borne virus that can cause serious damage to the liver.”

UPI reports that Kwiatkowski is being charged with drug diversion. The FBI believes that he switched patients syringes, stole their drugs, and infected several patients with Hep C.

The FBI writes:

“(Kwiatkowski was seen) leaving the CCL during procedures, sweating profusely, attending procedures on his off-days, and engaging in other suspicious behavior. One witness claimed that he appeared to be ‘on something’ while another witness claimed to have observed ‘track marks’ on his arms.”

United States Attorney John P. Kacavas added:

“The evidence gathered to date points irrefutably to Kwiatkowski as the source of the hepatitis C outbreak at Exeter Hospital. With his arrest, we have eliminated the menace this ‘serial infector’ posed to public health and safety.”

Boston reports that Kwiatkowski was a traveling technician and hospitals in at least 6 states are investigating the man’s actions. FBI Investigators believe that Kwiatkowski used hospital syringes containing fentanyl on himself. He then replaced the drug with another liquid for patients to use.

If Kwiatkowski is found guilty he could face up to 24 years in prison. He faces 20 years for tampering with a consumer product and four years for obtaining a controlled substance by fraud.

Earlier this week, a dentist was accused of a similar crime. Colorado dentist Stephen Stein is being accused of infecting hundreds with HIV after reusing syringes and needles in his practice for decades.

Hepatitis C Outbreak: Former Hospital Employee Arrested For Spreading Disease is a post from: The Inquisitr