Wendy J. Olson

Wendy J. Olson, former U.S. Attorney for the District of Idaho, is a partner in Stoel Rives’ Litigation practice. She focuses her practice on government investigations, white-collar criminal defense, and civil litigation.

Wendy has over two decades of experience prosecuting white-collar crime cases along with criminal civil rights violations, child sexual exploitation cases, and Idaho’s only federal death penalty case. She served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for 13 years and served as U.S. Attorney for the District of Idaho for seven years until joining Stoel Rives in 2017.

Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Wendy was a trial attorney in the Criminal Section, Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. She also served as assistant to the legal director of the National Church Arson Task Force. Wendy also served as a law clerk for U.S. Chief District Court Judge Barbara Rothstein in Seattle.

Education

Stanford Law School, J.D., 1990

Drake University, B.A., News/Editorial Journalism, 1986

Admissions

Idaho

• U.S. v. Duncan. Successful capital murder prosecution of defendant who kidnapped two children from their home outside of Coeur d’Alene, took them to a remote forest in Montana and killed one of them. Litigated capital sentencing hearing, a retrospective competency hearing and two Ninth Circuit appeals.
• U.S. v. Card. Successful prosecution of an optometrist who was falsely billing government and private insurers for expensive glaucoma tests and treatments and for colorblindness tests when patients did not receive those tests and did not have those eye conditions.
• U.S. v. Close. Successful prosecution of a durable medical equipment provider who was falsely billing government and private insurers for expensive electronic wheelchairs and gel cushions when he was providing mobility scooters and foam cushions.
• U.S. v. Bullard. Successful prosecution of three individuals who assaulted an African American man in Nampa because of his race.
• U.S. v. Dearing. Successful prosecution of a Nampa Medicaid provider who was falsely billing services as if they were covered, when they were not.

Insights & Presentations

• “Antitrust Scrutiny of Health Care Markets Ready to Escalate – Are You Ready?” (co-author), Stoel Rives Health Law Insider Blog, August 2024
• Co-presenter, “Preparing for Government Investigations that May Become Criminal Prosecutions,” Stoel Rives seminar, Seattle, WA, August 2017
• Co-presenter, “If the Government Comes Knocking—Are You Prepared?” Stoel Rives seminar, Boise, ID, July 2017
• Presenter, “Accessibility Review and Update,” Construction Law, HalfMoon Education Inc., Boise, ID, June 2017
• “Health Care Fraud Investigations and Prosecutions in Idaho,” co-author, The Advocate, January 2016
• “Enforcement of the Criminal Component of the Fair Housing Act,” The Advocate, March/April 2014

• Included in The Best Lawyers in America^® (Criminal Defense: White-Collar), 2024–present
• Selected as one of “America’s Leading Lawyers for Business” (Idaho) by Chambers USA (Litigation: General Commercial), 2023–present
• Named an Idaho Business Review Women of the Year honoree, 2023
• Listed in Mountain States Super Lawyers^® (Criminal Defense: White-Collar), 2019–present
• Named by Mountain States Super Lawyers^® as one of its Top 50 Women Lawyers, 2024
• Stoel Rives LLP Andrew Guy Pro Bono Award, Recipient, 2019, 2020, 2022
• Recipient of Concordia University School of Law’s “Leaders in Action” award in 2018, the Idaho Chapter of the Federal Bar Association (FBA) Exemplary Lawyer Award in 2017, the Idaho State Bar’s Diversity Section’s 2017 “Justice for All” award, the Idaho State Bar’s Distinguished Lawyer Award in 2016, the Idaho Women Lawyers Kate Feltham Award in 2013, the Idaho State Bar’s Professionalism Award in 2011, and the Attorney General’s Award for Excellence in 2009

Professional

• Appointed to a two-year term on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC) in 2013 by then Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr.; reappointed to a second two-year term in 2015 by then Attorney General Loretta Lynch
• Idaho Bar Association, Health Law Section, Chair, Governing Council
• Inducted as a fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers in 2012

Civic

• Women’s and Children’s Alliance, Board Member, Boise