Source: Office of United States Attorneys
DETROIT – An indictment was unsealed charging registered nurse Travis Eskridge, 53, of Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan, with three counts of tampering with a consumer product, specifically the Schedule II controlled substance fentanyl. He also was charged with one count of theft of medical products by an employee and one count of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud. The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Julie Beck.
Beck was joined in the announcement by Special Agent in Charge Ronne Malham, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations Chicago Field Office.
According to the indictment, while working as a registered nurse in the emergency room at Ascension St. John Hospital, Eskridge tampered with vials containing fentanyl, a powerful narcotic pain reliever, which he knew were intended to be administered to patients in the hospital’s emergency room. The indictment charges that Eskridge removed fentanyl from the vials, replaced fentanyl with another liquid, and returned the tampered vials to the locked drug storage system. Eskridge did this with reckless disregard for the dangerous risk to patients that results from such tampering. The indictment also charges that he stole fentanyl vials as part of a pattern of thefts over a nine-month period and obtained fentanyl by fraud for his personal use. Nurse Eskridge was removed from his position at Ascension St. John Hospital in August of 2022 when the tampering and thefts were discovered.
Acting United States Attorney Beck stated, “Such crimes are a betrayal of the trust placed in licensed medical professionals. To protect the health and safety of our citizens, we take crimes like this seriously and pursue those in positions of trust who choose to harm others.”
Travis Eskridge made his initial appearance on the Indictment today before a Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. He was released on a bond with conditions that included not seeking employment as a nurse.
The maximum penalties provided by statute for these offenses include up to 10 years of imprisonment for each of the three tampering counts, up to 5 years of imprisonment for the theft count, and up to 4 years of imprisonment for the acquiring by fraud count. Each count also carries a maximum fine of $250,000. The actual sentence imposed upon any conviction would be decided after consideration of the United States Sentencing Guidelines.
The case is investigated by special agents of the Food and Drug Administration.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.