A Fairfield resident has been sentenced to four years of probation after admitting to stealing thousands of prescription pills from a pharmacy he owned and operated. Bryan Paul Vander Linden, 43, was sentenced on July 28, 2025, in Des Moines, Iowa.
Court documents show that between June 2022 and at least November 2023, Vander Linden took prescription pills from Summit Pharmacy of Iowa for personal use. He obtained the pills by ordering them without recording them in the pharmacy’s inventory, removing them from pharmacy stock, or taking them from the controlled substance collection bin. The total included more than 3,500 oxycodone and hydrocodone pills—both classified as Schedule II controlled substances—and over 400 carisoprodol pills, which are classified as a Schedule IV muscle relaxant.
In addition to probation, Vander Linden was ordered to pay a $9,500 fine.
“Pharmacists are entrusted with the handling of controlled substances and ensuring that laws are followed in their handling,” DEA Omaha Division Acting Special Agent in Charge Rafael Mattei said. “This Iowa pharmacist broke that trust by diverting controlled substances for his own use. I commend the DEA Diversion Investigators whose work uncovered the diversion of controlled substances in this case and who work diligently to ensure that pharmacies follow the law and maintain a safe and secure environment.”
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
