Attorney General named to national group with federal, state and local officials

Crime-fighting trends, election fraud among Zoeller's committee assignments

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller last week joined a top-level committee of state attorneys general, county prosecutors and U.S. Attorneys that will focus on setting crime-fighting priorities.

Zoeller visited the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington D.C. last week in his new role as a member of the Executive Working Group on Prosecutorial Relations or EWG.

The committee includes the state attorneys general of Indiana, Colorado, Delaware, New Jersey, Louisiana, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Wisconsin, as well as several U.S. Attorneys from federal court districts and county prosecutors and district attorneys from cities around the nation. Elkhart County Prosecutor Curtis Hill is also on the EWG.

"Serving in the Executive Working Group on Prosecutorial Relations gives Indiana a seat at the table as all levels of law enforcement compare notes and evaluate the crime trends we should focus on in coming years," Zoeller said. "My predecessor, former Attorney General Steve Carter, was a co-chair of the EWG that helped zero in on issues of immigration and human trafficking; and I recognize the importance of this partnership."

In Washington D.C. last week, the EWG met with U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and discussed establishing a multi-year strategic plan for the organization.

Zoeller's participation in the EWG meeting stems from his role with the National Association of Attorneys General, or NAAG. That organization, which represents all 55 state and territorial attorneys general, has appointed Zoeller to three other committees with his elected colleagues from other states.

Zoeller recently was named to serve on NAAG's standing committee on Consumer Protection along with the attorneys general of Hawaii, Montana, Maine and Virginia. "In light of Indiana’s efforts on identity-theft protection, mortgage-foreclosure prevention and telephone-privacy enforcement, I am honored to serve in this role developing policies for consumer protection," Zoeller said.

Zoeller also was appointed to NAAG's Elections Working Group, which includes attorneys general of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Tennessee, Arizona and Wisconsin.

"Being named to the Elections Working Group is a recognition of the zealous work of the Indiana Attorney General’s Office in investigating election fraud. By dissecting the 'sidewalks-for-votes' scandal in East Chicago, we obtained a historic court judgment finding the former city administration was a corrupt enterprise under federal racketeering laws. Our office also investigated vote fraud in Muncie and recently sought an indictment there against a political insider," Zoeller said. "Through this NAAG appointment, we will be able to share our strategies in rooting out political corruption with our colleagues, and learn about their approaches," he added.

Zoeller in January took office as Indiana's elected attorney general. Prior to that, he worked for nearly eight years in Steve Carter's administration, including collaborative efforts with NAAG. Zoeller also has been appointed to a third standing committee, the NAAG Working Group, along with attorneys general of Hawaii, Montana, New Mexico, Maine, Virginia and Kansas.