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Nurse Who Stole Dead Man's Credit Card Gets 30 Days
Duane Bourne / The Virginian-Pilot
September 18, 2008
Matthew Wiseman, a registered nurse who pilfered a dead patient’s credit card, was ordered to serve a month in jail on Wednesday.
The 24-year-old man, who pleaded guilty to credit card theft and credit card fraud, used the card of Michael Puopolo in March to buy a laptop computer hours after the 75-year-old man was pronounced dead at Sentara Bayside Hospital. On Wednesday, Circuit Judge A. Joseph Canada Jr. found Wiseman guilty of the two felonies and sentenced him to eight years in prison with all but 30 days suspended.
Wiseman was working in the emergency room when Puopolo was transported to the hospital. Puopolo was found slumped over in his car in the parking lot of a BJ’s Wholesale Club store, and was later pronounced dead of a heart attack.
Six hours after Puopolo died, Wiseman was captured on surveillance footage at a Best Buy store wearing his hospital scrubs and using the stolen Visa card to buy a $1,800 laptop computer, according to prosecutors.
Hospital workers identified him from the video and he was fired for violating Sentara’s ethics policy.
© YellowBrix 2008
aquangel_nash
about 1 year ago
14 comments
30 days???? wow. he should loose his liscence. to steal from a dead person, thats horrible. what an amazing justice system to only give him 30 days. kudos to our jacked up government.
armywife08
about 1 year ago
4 comments
I live in the area where this happened, and I am sad to say, that there is even more issues with this . The article didn't even mention the fact that he was licsened out of state,( i think W. Va) and was actually not supposed to be practicing in the state of Virginia. The home state of this guy is not a part of the Nurse Licsensure Compact and Sentara still hired this man. Wow- but not surprising!
laura59
about 1 year ago
414 comments
Slap that boy on the wrist...why didn't you just increase the limit on the victim's credit card and turn him loose again????? Was the entire Justice System out to lunch or did someone pull the verdict out of a hat.
laura59
about 1 year ago
414 comments
Slap that boy on the wrist...why didn't you just increase the limit on the victim's credit card and turn him loose again????? Was the entire Justice System out to lunch or did someone pull the verdict out of a hat.
iluvnrsing
about 1 year ago
326 comments
what about working as a nurse again?
cdnurse
about 1 year ago
3260 comments
30 days? You're kidding me.