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News / Northwest

Eastern WA’s 1st female U.S. Attorney leaves Tri-Cities safer after her tenure, officials say

By Cameron Probert, The News Tribune
Published: January 14, 2025, 5:10pm

The departing top federal prosecutor for Eastern Washington is leaving the Tri-Cities safer than when she started just over three years ago, say several top local legal and law enforcement professionals.

Vanessa Waldref is stepping down from her position as the top federal prosecutor in the Eastern half of the state ahead of next week’s inauguration.

The two U.S. Attorneys in Washington are political appointments made by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

Waldref has overseen the prosecution of a number of high-profile drug, fraud and child exploitation cases, as well as civil cases.

That includes one of the largest federal fraud cases of its kind — Cody Easterday’s massive “ghost cattle” scam that bilked Tyson Foods and another company out of more than a quarter billion dollars.

But local legal professionals say one of biggest impacts was permanently stationing two federal prosecutors at Richland’s federal courthouse. Something that had been talked about for more than 25 years.

It was the only federal building in the nation with active judges but no U.S. Attorney’s Office.

U.S. District Court Senior Judge Ed Shea of the Tri-Cities told the Herald that Waldref was instrumental in making that happen.

Previously, prosecutors needed to travel from Spokane or Yakima to handle about 500 cases a year in U.S. District Court at the Federal Building.

Having federal prosecutors assigned to the Tri-Cities expanded opportunities to prosecute more Tri-City crimes under federal laws, which can carry more severe penalties. At the office’s opening ceremony in 2022, speakers said the area’s population boom had contributed to a rise in cases.

Judge Shea, along with Benton County Prosecutor Eric Eisinger and former Prosecutor Andy Miller, said establishing the office was a major accomplishment.

“The Richland office made prosecution of cases more efficient by eliminating hours of driving to Spokane or Yakima and solidified relationships with federal law enforcement agencies in the Tri-Cities, as well as increasing coordination with local law enforcement,” Miller told the Herald.

Eisinger said those relationships are needed to hold offenders accountable.

Waldref hired two Benton County deputy prosecutors with long, successful track records of getting convictions. One was Laurel Holland, who was just named the Homeland Security Investigations Prosecutor of the Year for Eastern Washington.

Helping Eastern Washington

Waldref, a Spokane native, served as an assistant U.S. Attorney from 2013 to 2020, then became the U.S. Attorney in October 2021.

Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell recommended her for the top post when President Joe Biden was elected. She became the first woman to head the Eastern Washington district.

Waldref said she wanted to build an office that responded to the needs of the community, focused on public health, safety, fought fraud, protected civil rights and addressed the crisis of missing or murdered indigenous people.

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“Since day one, my goals were to forge strong partnerships with law enforcement and community stakeholders, advocate for resources to better serve all of Eastern Washington and prioritize the most impactful cases to protect our community.” she said in a release.

Waldref’s office has been at the forefront of prosecuting drug traffickers and sex offenders.

“I am proud to say that during my tenure, we prosecuted cases from each of the 20 counties east of the Cascade Mountains,” she said.

That included a Kennewick couple Bret Michael Emineth and Malesa Hale, who were sentenced to decades in federal prison after years of abusing a girl.

Waldref also hired a record number of federal prosecutors and staff, expanded community outreach and engagement and focused on modernizing how the office handled evidence.

“In a little more than three years, Vanessa has done more than some prosecutors achieve in a lifetime,” First Assistant US Attorney Richard Barker said in a release. “Her contributions to the U.S. Attorney’s Office will live on for years to come.”

Barker will lead the office in the interim until a new U.S. Attorney is confirmed, according to the release.

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