UW Medicine Resident Physician at Seattle Children’s Hospital Charged for Diverting FentanylDEA Seattle - 07/01/25 10:43 AM
SEATTLE, Wash.--Dr. Andrew Voegel-Podadera, 35, a resident physician at the University of Washington Medical School who worked at Seattle Children’s Hospital, UW Medicine, and Harborview Medical Center is charged with two counts of Acquiring a Controlled Substance by Misrepresentation, Fraud, Deception, and Subterfuge.
On June 24th, 2025, DEA Seattle Diversion Group and DEA agents, along with the Food and Drug Administration - Office of Criminal Investigations, arrested Voegel-Podadera at his residence and transported him to the Federal Courthouse for an initial hearing.
As an anesthesia resident at the University of Washington and Seattle Children’s Hospital, Voegel-Podadera was found to have diverted Fentanyl, Remifentanil, Sufentanil, Hydromorphone and other controlled substances while treating children. In addition to practicing medicine while under the influence of controlled substance, Voegel-Podadera tampered with and diverted controlled substances that were ordered for three children.
“Diverting medicine away from infant patients is despicable, doubly so if the person involved is a doctor,” said David F. Reames, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division. “If Dr. Voegel-Podadera is convicted, it will show that he violated both his oath and the law, and I am proud that DEA could help stop him.”
According to the complaint, the attending physician at Seattle Children’s believed that Voegel-Podadera was displaying behavior consistent with drug use, including unexplained delays and absences from the operating room. On December 27, 2024, as a resident anesthesiologist, he treated three minor patients The attending physician observed Voegel-Podadera draw up an excessive amount of fentanyl into syringes that would not be needed for their patients that day. With concerns Voegel- Podadera was diverting, Seattle Children’s arranged for all the substances returned as wastage to be tested that day and found the waste syringes were filled with saline solution.
The DEA Seattle Diversion Group received a report Voegel-Podadera was suspected of diverting controlled substances in January 2025. In February 2025, the investigation revealed Voegel-Podadera allegedly diverted controlled substances while working at Seattle Children’s Hospital, as well as the University of Washington Medical Center, and Harborview Medical Center, going back to January 2024.
On June 12, 2025, DEA Diversion served Voegel-Podadera with an Immediate Suspension Order, suspending his controlled substance prescribing abilities. He was arrested on June 24th, 2025.
The charges contained in the criminal complaint are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
This operation took place as part of the 2025 Department of Justice National Health Care Fraud Enforcement Action.
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571-387-3831
Bureau of Land Management Ore. & Wash. - 07/01/25 8:00 AM
PORTLAND, Ore. – The Bureau of Land Management sold 19.2 million board feet of timber across 772 public acres for $5,726,255 between three timber sales in western Oregon. These sales will produce enough timber to build roughly 1,200 homes, feed local mills, and support jobs in Oregon communities.
“America has significant timber resources, with many of those in Western Oregon,” said BLM Oregon/Washington State Director Barry Bushue. “We are focused on using forests for timber and jobs that improve life in local communities.”
The Medford District sold 2.2 million board feet of timber across 110 public acres in the Salt Creek salvage sale to Swanson Group of Gendale for $101,504. The project will remove fire-damaged trees along publicly accessible BLM roads.
The Northwest Oregon District sold 8.6 million board feet of timber across 345 public acres in the Farm Team timber sale to Feres Lumber Co., Inc., of Lyons for $2,097,545. The district also sold 8.4 million board feet of timber across 317 acres in the Brushback timber sale to Sierra Pacific Industries of Eugene for $3,527,206.
In western Oregon, the BLM manages 2.4 million acres of some of the most productive forests in the world, and is committed to supplying a reliable, secure, and resilient domestic supply of timber. BLM forestry supports economic security, reduces risks from wildfire, conserves fish and wildlife habitat, and decreases costs of energy production. Local communities rely on jobs that come from BLM forests, and timber from public land feeds local industry.
Each year, the BLM Oregon-Washington forestry program sales support approximately 2,000 local jobs and generate more than $1 billion for local economies. Revenue from timber sold on O&C lands is shared between the U.S. Treasury and 18 western Oregon counties. This funding provides local communities with the means to construct new county buildings; develop fairgrounds and museums; support libraries, schools, and jails; and build flood-control dams and reservoirs.
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The BLM manages about 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.
U.S. Attorney's Office - Eastern Dist. of Wash. - 07/03/25 8:49 AM
Spokane, Washington – Acting United States Attorney Richard R. Barker announced that Jered Shay Picard, age 35, of Nespelem, Washington, was sentenced after pleading guilty to Assault with a Dangerous Weapon in Indian Country and Attempted Witness Tampering. United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice sentenced Picard to 48 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.
According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing hearing, on December 13, 2024, Picard got into a fight with the victim, his intimate partner. The victim locked herself inside a pickup truck to get away from Picard. Picard then pointed a rifle at the victim’s face before firing a shot into the sky. When the victim tried to start the truck and escape, Picard shot out the front driver side tire so she could not leave. The victim recorded the incident on video.
The next morning, the Colville Tribal Police Department located and arrested Picard and booked him into jail.
During several jail telephone calls with the victim, Picard told her to tell investigators she did not want to press charges, avoid meeting with the FBI, delete the video of the incident, and tell investigators she and Picard were drunk at the time of the incident. Picard also implied the victim should not show up to court if the case was federally prosecuted.
“Mr. Picard’s actions were both life-threatening and deeply disturbing,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard R. Barker. “He used a firearm to terrorize his intimate partner and then attempted to manipulate her into obstructing justice. This sentence reflects the grave danger posed by armed domestic abusers—not only to their current victims, but to future partners and to the integrity of the justice system itself.”
“Mr. Picard's violent and intimidating actions were inexcusable, continuing in an aggressive and dangerous pursuit even when his victim tried to flee in a vehicle. He then compounded his crimes by continuing to intimidate the victim in a brazen attempt to avoid accountability for his actions,” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. “I hope this sentence provides the first steps to closure and reinforces our commitment to combatting violent crime in all its forms. Along with our partners, the FBI is dedicated to making our state's tribal lands a safer place.”
Data shows that offenders with domestic violence in their past pose a high risk of homicide. In fact, domestic violence abusers with a gun in the home are five times more likely to kill their partners, and in addition to their lethality, firearms are used by abusers to inflict fear, intimidation, and coercive control. Additionally, when a violent intimate partner has access to a firearm, nonfatal abuse may increase in severity, even when firearms are not directly used in a violent incident.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the Colville Tribal Police Department. It was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Michael L. Vander Giessen.
2:25-cr-00013-TOR
U.S. Attorney's Office - Eastern Dist. of Wash. - 07/02/25 2:23 PM
Spokane, Washington – Acting United States Attorney Richard R. Barker announced that Jonathan Ray Stocker, age 44, of Sprague, Washington, was sentenced after pleading guilty to possessing image and video files depicting the sexual abuse of a young children. United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice imposed a sentence of 10 years in prison to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release. Additionally, Judge Rice ordered Stocker to pay $45,000 in restitution to his victims.
According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing hearing, on July 1, 2023, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department learned from a third party that they had seen images and videos of children being sexually abused stored on Stocker’s computer.
Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Stocker’s home on September 1, 2023, and seized several electronic devices, including two computers belonging to Stocker. Agents located more than 9,000 images and 184 videos of children under the age of 12 being sexually abused.
Stocker has a prior federal conviction for Possession of Child Pornography. In 2012, he was sentenced to 48 months in prison and 5 years of supervised release.
“The United States Attorney’s Office remains committed to holding accountable those who sexually abuse and exploit children. Mr. Stocker’s prior conviction did not deter his conduct, and today’s sentence—along with lifetime supervision—is necessary to protect vulnerable members of our Eastern Washington communities,” said Acting United States Attorney Barker.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ann T. Wick.
2:24-cr-00054-TOR