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Inset: Andrew Voegel-Podadera (UW Medicine). Background: Seattle Children’s Hospital, where Andrew Voegel-Podadera worked as an anesthesiologist and stole pain meds while underdosing underage patients, including an 11-day-old infant (Google Maps).
This week, a resident anesthesiologist in Washington state faced sentencing after admitting to a shocking breach of trust. Andrew Voegel-Podadera confessed to underdosing pediatric patients, including a particularly vulnerable “tiny baby,” while he secretly appropriated their pain medications for personal use, as outlined in court records.
Voegel-Podadera, 36, revealed that he misappropriated controlled substances during nearly half of his 11 working days at Seattle Children’s Hospital. His misconduct extended to Harborview Medical Center and University of Washington Medical Center, dating back to January 2024, according to details in his plea agreement.
In October 2025, Voegel-Podadera admitted guilt to the federal charge of obtaining controlled substances by fraud. This week, he received a sentence of one year of supervised release and was ordered to complete 200 hours of community service. His confession included diverting narcotic pain medication for personal consumption, affecting patients as young as an 11-day-old infant.
According to a federal complaint, Voegel-Podadera told investigators he diverted substances such as fentanyl, remifentanil, sufentanil, hydromorphone, dexmedetomidine, ketorolac, ondansetron, and occasionally benzodiazepines. His drug diversion scheme was uncovered swiftly by vigilant colleagues at Seattle Children’s Hospital, who became suspicious of his behavior and reported him after only 11 days of his employment there.
The sentencing memo from DOJ prosecutors reveals that Voegel-Podadera attempted to hide his theft by misleadingly returning vials to the hospital pharmacy, falsely claiming they contained unused medication wastage when he had actually refilled them with saline.
“On December 27, 2024, Voegel-Podadera saw three minor patients at Seattle Children’s Hospital,” the memo explains. “With the first patient of the day, he began stealing the pain medicines intended for use in his work. By the end of his shift, Voegel-Podadera had taken both fentanyl and hydromorphone, and used some of it while still caring for patients.”
Voegel-Podadera told investigators that “generally he would draw up a medication, administer a partial amount to the patient, and take the rest for personal use,” according to the complaint. “[Voegel-Podadera] stated he would sometimes take diverted medications during his shift, intravenously,” the complaint says. “Voegel-Podadera confirmed that he did this with adult patients and with child patients.”
The Seattle anesthesiologist resident would have saline “drawn up, labeled as fentanyl, and administered” to his patients while sneaking away the pain med to use on himself, he admitted.
“Seattle Children’s Hospital arranged for all the substances returned by Andrew Voegel-Podadera as wastage on December 27, 2024, to be tested,” the complaint explains. “Laboratory analysis found that fentanyl and hydromorphone were absent, and instead the waste syringes appeared to be filled with nothing other than saline solution.”
Prosecutors wrote in court filings that Voegel-Podadera’s behavior “put numerous people —including very young children—at risk of harm,” noting how anesthesiologists are tasked with administering “precise” doses of potent medications.
“What really happened with these and his many other patients will never be known,” the sentencing memo concludes.
“This defendant was entrusted with caring for patients, including young and vulnerable patients,” said U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd in a press release. “It is chilling to think that he took powerful narcotics while a tiny baby needed his full and unimpaired attention.”
Voegel-Podadera’s attorney admitted in court that the consequences for the now-former physician have been significant. He was terminated, had to surrender his DEA registration that allowed him to prescribe medications, and surrendered his medical license for at least five years, per federal officials.
“Voegel-Podadera said he wished he had sought help for his addiction earlier,” officials say. “He has been speaking to groups of medical residents about the danger of addiction.”