WASHINGTON, DC – Senators Dan Coats (R-Ind.) and Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) today praised the Senate Judiciary Committee’s vote to approve Winfield D. Ong to fill the vacancy on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. Ong’s nomination will now be sent to the full Senate for consideration. “I applaud the committee’s vote to approve the nomination of Winfield Ong,” said Coats. “Given the ongoing judicial emergency in the Southern District of Indiana, this vacancy needs to be filled. Winfield Ong’s qualifications and outstanding record of public service make him the right person for this important position.”
“I am pleased the Senate Judiciary Committee moved Winfield Ong’s nomination forward to the full Senate,” said Donnelly. “He is an excellent nominee and has demonstrated he has the experience, ability, and temperament necessary to serve Hoosiers well on the federal bench. I urge the Senate to hold a confirmation vote on Winfield Ong as soon as possible.”
Ong, a native of Evansville and resident of Indianapolis, graduated from DePauw University and has spent most of his career working in Indiana. Ong currently serves as Chief of the Criminal Division for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Indiana. Ong was recognized for leading the prosecution of Tim Durham, who was found guilty of defrauding investors out of millions of dollars, resulting in the largest white-collar fraud sentence imposed in the Southern District of Indiana. Durham and his co-conspirators defrauded approximately 5,000 victims who lost $200 million to their scheme. For his work on this case, Ong received a prestigious Director’s Award from the Department of Justice, recognizing Assistant United States Attorneys who have distinguished themselves through the outstanding performance of their duties.
Early in his legal career, Ong clerked for Judge Gene E. Brooks, Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. He went on to serve as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana’s Civil Division and then as Director and Counsel of the Integrity Division of Anthem/Wellpoint before returning to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. He has served on the Organized Crime and Drug Task Force, as Appellate Counsel, and as co-chair of the Health Care Fraud Task Force.
