Lincoln woman sentenced for stealing drugs used as evidence in Nebraska State Patrol cases

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – A 38-year-old woman who worked in the Nebraska State Patrol evidence room was sentenced Wednesday to nearly 22 years in federal prison for stealing more than 200 pounds of drugs that had been ordered destroyed.

Anna Idigima of Lincoln was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge John M. Gerrard for imprisonment and conspiracy to distribute drugs resulting in serious bodily injury. She will serve a term of 21 years and 10 months followed by five years of supervised release; the federal system does not offer parole.

An investigation revealed that Idigima, an NSP employee who worked in the stored evidence room, stole the drugs in June-August 2021. According to the news release from the office of Acting U.S. Attorney Susan Lehr, Idigima then gave the drugs to her boyfriend and co-defendant, George Weaver, to sell in Lincoln.

She was fired from the NSP in September 2021. Weaver pleaded guilty to related charges earlier this year.

“Video surveillance from NSP’s Lincoln evidence storage facility shows Idigima opening sealed boxes, taking items from those boxes, putting them in garbage bags and loading the bags into her personal vehicle on several occasions,” the release states.

Following an audit of the rooms Idigima had access to, Lincoln/Lancaster County Narcotics Task Force investigators were able to determine that numerous assorted pills, 154 pounds of marijuana, 19 pounds of cocaine, 6 pounds of fentanyl, 10 pounds of heroin, 3 pounds of meth, 32 pounds of THC, and 1,270 THC vape cartridges had been taken.

The theft of $1.2 million in NSP drug evidence resulted in nearly 100 criminal cases being dismissed.

Investigators also searched her boyfriend’s Snapchat account, where they found conversations about drugs as well as a photo of several large bags of marijuana, one of which had red tape resembling the sorts of evidence markings typically used by NSP in their investigations. A search of Weaver’s apartment, which is where the photo was likely taken, turned up residue evidence of cocaine, fentanyl, and marijuana, the release states.

In the weeks following, two separate overdose incidents led investigators to ultimately trace the drugs to Weaver and Idigima, leading to their arrests. In both instances, the people overdosed on what they believed was cocaine and required Narcan in order to be revived. Authorities determined they had actually overdosed on cocaine laced with fentanyl.

According to the report, while Idigima was incarcerated Saline County Jail, she sent a letter to another inmate in the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women in York in January 2023 admitting to taking the drugs. The letter was intercepted by jail staff.

“In the letter, Idigima identified herself as ‘Anna Idigima’ and wrote: ‘You may have heard about the case. I was the evidence tech from the Nebraska State Patrol who took 1.2 million in drugs and sold them,’” the release states.

The Lancaster and Saline county sheriff’s offices, the UNL Police Department, and the Nebraska City Police Department assisted NSP in the investigation on this case.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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