Friday, May 19, 2006

ICJI Attorney Hires Criminal Defense Attorney

A former attorney and chief ethics officer for the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, Silvia Miller, retained a prominent criminal defense attorney as a result of the state's Inspector General's investigation of the agency. Yesterday, Taking Down Words reported that Miller was rumored to have departed the agency for a job at Secretary of State Todd Rokita's office where she was formerly employed before joining the ICJI. TDW also reported that former executive director Heather Bolejack had given Miller a $12,000 pay raise not long after she joined the agency last year.

Prominent Indianapolis criminal defense attorney Richard Kammen told the Indiana Lawyer in its most recent edition, in an interview which obviously took place prior to her departure, that "his client ha[d] met with investigators twice and ha[d] been forthcoming in answering questions. However, he said she sought representation because of the way in which the investigation was being conducted." Kammen described the IG's investigation as being "very unusual." He told the Indiana Lawyer that "investigators in this situation have been very close-mouthed about what they're looking for, even to the people providing them with information." "It's a very unusual situation, " Kammen said.

Kammen spoke to the Indiana Lawyer before any results of the investigation had been made public. He told Indiana Lawyer at that time Miller "continues to do her job to the best of her abilities given the disruption to the office caused by the investigation." "Everyone in the office has been and wants to be completely cooperative with the investigators," Kammen said. "They've provided everything they've asked for without knowing if they're asking for the right thing."

Miller's sudden departure from the agency would not not look good under these circumstances, although it certainly doesn't imply she engaged in any criminal wrongdoing. The fact that she hired an expensive criminal defense attorney is a clear indication though that she is taking nothing for granted.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

She is still at the agency.