Mass. Veterans Worker Charged With Selling Drugs

A man who worked with substance-abuse patients at a Massachusetts veterans hospital has been accused by federal authorities of selling drugs to the very people he was supposed to be helping.

Prosecutors say Patrick McNulty of Billerica sold cocaine to a cooperating witness on the grounds of the Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital in Bedford on three occasions, bragging about his contacts with gang members and his ability to get cocaine whenever he wanted.

McNulty was arrested on Tuesday and released on $5,000 bond after an appearance before a magistrate judge.

A hospital spokeswoman says McNulty has been suspended and is not allowed on hospital grounds.

There was no answer at a telephone listing for McNulty.

He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.