A Fairfield pharmacist has admitted to illegally obtaining thousands of prescription pills from his own pharmacy, pleading guilty to prescription drug diversion on March 27, 2025.
Bryan Paul Vander Linden, 42, confessed to stealing the drugs while operating Summit Pharmacy of Iowa, which he owned. According to court records, Vander Linden unlawfully obtained prescription medications between June 2022 and November 2023 by manipulating inventory records, taking stock directly, or retrieving pills from the pharmacy’s controlled substance collection bin.
Federal prosecutors say he diverted more than 3,500 oxycodone and hydrocodone pills—both classified as Schedule II controlled substances—along with over 400 pills of carisoprodol, a Schedule IV muscle relaxant, for personal use.
Vander Linden is scheduled for sentencing on July 28, 2025. He faces up to four years in prison, though the final sentence will be determined by a federal judge considering U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other legal factors.
The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa and investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
