By Chicago Times Magazine –
January 14, 2026
A registered nurse is facing federal charges for allegedly distributing counterfeit Ozempic to several individuals in Chicago, federal authorities announced Tuesday.
Sharon Christine Sackman, 52, has been charged in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois with one count of distributing misbranded drugs and three counts of dispensing counterfeit drugs. According to a criminal information filed by prosecutors, Sackman distributed the substances to three people in 2023. While the products were labeled as the popular weight-loss medication Ozempic, investigators determined they were not manufactured by Novo Nordisk, the drug’s legitimate producer. Furthermore, the information states the counterfeit versions did not contain semaglutide, the active ingredient found in authentic Ozempic.
Federal prosecutors emphasized that although Sackman was a registered professional nurse, she lacked the legal licensing required to prescribe, administer, dispense, or sell the medication. Sackman, who currently resides in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, traveled to Chicago for her arraignment on Tuesday, where she entered a plea of not guilty to all charges.
The case was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, alongside Ronne Malham, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations in Chicago. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Havey is representing the government in the matter. Each of the four counts carries a maximum penalty of one year in federal prison. U.S. Magistrate Judge Laura K. McNally has scheduled a status hearing for Feb. 3, 2026, to determine the next steps in the legal proceedings.
