Financial Disclosure Statement Filed By Greg Zoeller Comes Up Short

Attorney General Greg Zoeller (Star Photo)

Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller frequently conducts press conference where he touts his office's efforts to curb consumer fraud and various scams. Yet when he filed a financial disclosure statement with the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives required as a candidate for Congress in Indiana's 9th congressional district, he was less than candid about his financial holdings.

According to the financial disclosure statement he filed on October 9, 2015, Zoeller reported owning no assets. That's zero, zilch, zip, nada. He reported the $98,399 he earns from his state office and $3,000 he earns as an adjunct professor at Indiana University, as well as $9,528 in income his wife earned from Meridian Street United Methodist Church. The only other disclosure was a mortgage with Chase Bank between $100,000 and $250,000 on his Indianapolis residence on E. 56th Street, which is valued at $411,300 according to the Marion Co. Assessor's Office. He claims a homestead exemption on that residence, which is not located in the 9th District. Zoeller and his wife own a second parcel in Marion County valued at $24,400. Zoeller hasn't lived in the 9th District in decades, although he claimed a voting registration there at his parents' home when he worked in Washington for Dan Quayle. Congressional candidates are only required to reside somewhere in the state; they are not required to reside in the district where they are a candidate.

The financial disclosure statement Zoeller filed with the Indiana Inspector General's Office is a tad different than the one he filed with the House Clerk. On that form he claims an ownership interest as a partner in 2010 Investment Group, Inc. According to the Secretary of State's website, that company's registered agent is some character by the name of David Njoroge with a business address listed as 3131 Springbrook Drive in South Bend. That's a residential address, not a business address. The company was established on February 2, 2010. Njoroge identifies himself as an account manager at Easy Access, LLC,  a software solutions firm located in South Bend according to his Linkedin listing. Why did Zoeller not disclose this asset on the financial disclosure statement he filed with the House Clerk? Does Zoeller not have any retirement or investment accounts? Interesting.

Zoeller's primary opponents provided more information on their financial disclosure forms. State Sen. Erin Houchin disclosed rental property in Campbellsburg that she and her husband owned worth less than $50,000, two College Choice accounts worth less than $50,000 and one worth less than $15,000, a PERF tax-deferred retirement account worth between $100,000 and $250,000, a legislative retirement account worth less than $15,000, two IRA accounts worth less than $15,000, assorted bank accounts with less than $100,000, a Raymond James investment account worth less than $15,000 and a Washington County retirement fund worth less than $15,000. She also listed liabilities in the form of two student loans (one between $50,000 and $100,000 and one between $15,000 and $50,000) and a home mortgage with Mid-Southerns Savings Bank of between $15,000 and $50,000.

State Sen. Brent Walz also listed extensive holdings on his financial disclosure statement he filed with the House Clerk. Those included: shares of Velox Express worth between $5 million and $25 million; stock options in Raydar, Inc. a veteran-owned defense-related contractor at Crane worth between $1 million and $5 million; a Las Vegas condo worth between $250,000 and $500,000; shares of The Baron Group, Inc. worth between $500,000 and $1,000,000; art and collectibles worth between $1 and $5 million; Atlantis Investments, LTD shares worth between $100,000 and $250,000 and a Huntington Bank account worth between $15,000 and $50,000. Waltz reported income of $55,000 from his senate job; $62,000 in partnership income from Velox Express; and $62,000 in professional fees from Raydar, Inc. Remarkably, Waltz, who is single, has no debts. He inherited his wealth from an unrelated, wealthy gay man while he was still in college.

Waltz is probably not the wealthiest candidate in the 9th congressional district. That honor belongs to Trey Hollingsworth, a Jeffersonville businessman. He has not filed his financial disclosure form yet. On November 16, 2015, Hollingsworth filed a statement requesting an additional 90 days to file his disclosure statement, which is now due on February 18.