Longtime federal prosecutor retires after more than 20 years: ‘His dedication to justice is unparalleled’

Longtime federal prosecutor Russell Smoot, who handled many large drug cases and helped lead the office, retired Friday.

Smoot, 60, took a unique path to the legal profession. He grew up in the Seattle area before moving to Alaska to work as a pilot and in commercial fishing.

One day, he picked up a book on Robert Kennedy and was inspired to pursue working for the Department of Justice. To do that, he figured, he would need to go to law school.

“I guess it just kind of seemed like a challenge,” Smoot said.

He was in his mid-30s when he graduated from Gonzaga Law School in 1999. He interned for the U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Washington while in law school and was hooked.

“It’s the best legal job a person could have,” Smoot said.

Smoot said he loves serving the general public, despite being in an often unrecognized role.

“Russ’ public service has been nothing short of incredible – from the cases he has tried to the leadership positions he held. Since beginning his career as an (assistant U.S. attorney) in May of 2002, Russ has prosecuted a wide range of cases, including several jury trials of drug trafficking cases, homicides, and everything in between,” U.S. Attorney Vanessa Waldref said in a statement. “Russ is one of the hardest-working AUSAs in our District’s history. He will be sorely missed.”

Smoot served as the criminal chief for the Eastern District of Washington from 2016 to 2021. For much of that time, he was also first assistant U.S. attorney for the district.

Smoot is a skilled trial and appellate attorney, Waldref said. He prosecuted the pseudoephedrine trials, which reduce the proliferation of local meth labs.

He also prosecuted the “pill hustle” case with 62 defendants accused of various roles in a large oxycodone-trafficking scheme.

More recently, Smoot in 2022 handled one of the largest frauds in Eastern Washington history, in which a rancher was ordered to pay $244 million in restitution for a “ghost cattle” scheme after charging companies for cattle that did not exist.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Van Marter and Smoot started at the office around the same time and worked together frequently.

“It is hard to imagine the U.S. Attorney’s Office without Russ Smoot in it,” Van Marter wrote in a statement. “We are excited for Russ as he begins his next adventure, but we will miss him. His dedication to justice is unparalleled.”

Smoot said the highlight of his career has been the level of cooperation between law enforcement agencies, local prosecutors and the U.S. Attorneys Office, which Smoot believes made a huge difference in many cases.

“It’s the opportunity to represent the public in all of those cases, whether it’s a large-scale drug case or maybe even a smaller-scale fraud case,” Smoot said. “It’s hard, but it’s ripe for opportunity. The intangible reward, I don’t think it can be compared to anything else.”