Acting United States Attorney Teal Luthy Miller has announced criminal charges and a civil settlement as part of the Department of Justice's 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown. The action involves two cases from Western Washington.
A criminal complaint has been filed against Andrew Voegel-Podadera, an anesthesiology resident at Seattle Children's Hospital, UW Medical Center, and Harborview. He is accused of diverting narcotic pain medication for personal use. "Our work in health care fraud is both to protect patients and protect important government programs," said Acting U.S. Attorney Miller.
Pinnacle Health PC, a Seattle-based healthcare provider, has reached a civil settlement for billing federal medical programs over $500,000 for unapproved experimental treatments. "The medical resident stole narcotics and used them while at work in the UW hospital system, putting patients in jeopardy," Miller added.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi emphasized the administration's stance against such crimes: "This record-setting Health Care Fraud Takedown delivers justice to criminal actors who prey upon our most vulnerable citizens and steal from hardworking American taxpayers."
In total, the nationwide takedown resulted in charges against 324 defendants involved in schemes with alleged false billings exceeding $14.6 billion and illegal drug diversions totaling over 15 million pills. Assets worth over $245 million were seized during the operation.
Special Agent David F. Reames from the DEA condemned the actions of Voegel-Podadera: "Diverting medicine away from infant patients is despicable." Similarly, Robert Iwanicki from the FDA stressed their commitment to protecting public health.
Pinnacle Health PC faced an investigation after concerns about billing for unapproved procedures arose. The U.S. Attorney’s Office substantiated claims that Pinnacle violated the False Claims Act by billing for an injectable product considered experimental.
Juliet T. Hodgkins from HHS-OIG stated, "The scale of today’s Takedown is unprecedented, and so is the harm we’re confronting."
Multiple law enforcement agencies across various districts participated in this coordinated effort to address healthcare fraud nationwide.
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