SEATTLE – A 36-year-old former anesthesiology resident at Seattle Children’s Hospital and Harborview and University of Washington Medical Centers was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to one year of supervised release including 200 hours of community service for diverting narcotic pain medication to his own use while...

EL PASO, Texas – Dr. Brian August, located in El Paso, has agreed to pay $200,000 to resolve allegations that he violated the Controlled Substances Act, the False Claims Act, and the Texas Health Care Program Fraud Prevention Act. The allegations involved the issuance of 255 controlled substance prescriptions to...

PORTLAND, Ore. — Dr. Brenda Brown-Carlson, a Portland veterinarian, was sentenced to 60 months of supervised probation on January 13, 2026, in Multnomah County Circuit Court as part of a plea agreement. Brown-Carlson admitted to diverting controlled substances for her personal use and replacing them with saline, impacting the treatment...

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...

TAMPA , F la. – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced that a federal jury found Dr. Qing McGaha guilty of 14 counts of unlawful drug distribution, four (4) counts of money laundering, and one (1) count of filing a false tax return. McGaha faces a maximum penalty of...

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA—Former Advanced Nurse Practitioner Jessica Joyce Spayd (52) was sentenced in U.S. District Court yesterday to 30 years (360 months) imprisonment for illegally prescribing and dispensing opioids outside the scope of legitimate medical practice that resulted in the deaths of five people between 2014 and 2019. United States District...

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – A Kansas man was sentenced to 18 months in prison and his nursing license forfeited after stealing controlled substances from his employer. According to court documents, in March 2021, Alec Ramirez, 32, of Overland Park, Kan., removed vials of fentanyl and hydromorphone from an automated dispensing...

ABINGDON, Va. – Sovah Health has agreed to pay the United States $4.36 million to settle claims that the hospital system violated the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) on numerous occasions between 2017 and 2020. As part of the resolution, Sovah Health further agreed to be subject to a period of...

COLUMBIA, SC– The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Atlanta Division, which includes the state of South Carolina, will host its 22nd National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on NEXT Saturday, April 30 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This bi-annual event offers free, anonymous disposal of unneeded medications at more than...

CHARLOTTE, NC– The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Atlanta Division, which includes the state of North Carolina, will host its 22nd National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on NEXT Saturday, April 30 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This bi-annual event offers free, anonymous disposal of unneeded medications at more than...