A Brewster, Washington physician has pleaded guilty to charges related to the adulteration and misbranding of medical devices. Dr. Eric Edward Haeger, 57, entered his plea on December 17, 2025, in the Eastern District of Washington.
According to court documents, Dr. Haeger purchased more than 500 used and recalled CPAP and BiPAP devices from online resellers between July 2021 and July 2023. These devices had been subject to a recall initiated by Philips Respironics in June 2021 due to health risks associated with foam used for sound abatement. The identified risks included inflammatory responses, asthma, nausea or vomiting, and potential toxic or cancer-causing effects.
Dr. Haeger and others under his direction opened the recalled devices using tools such as screwdrivers and hooks in locations not designed as clean rooms for manufacturing medical equipment. After attempting to remove the foam, they reassembled the devices.
The modified devices were then provided to Medicaid patients at Dr. Haeger's sleep clinic in Washington State. Staff at the clinic billed Medicaid for these used and recalled machines while falsely representing them as new devices in good working order.
Dr. Haeger is scheduled for sentencing on March 24, 2026.
The investigation was conducted by several agencies: the Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations, the Washington State Medicaid Fraud Control Division, the Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy J. Kelley is prosecuting the case.
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