Attorney General: Court approves Receiver’s final report on the former Indiana Coalition Against Sexual Assault

Replacement organization ICESA makes leaps and bounds in first year of operation

INDIANAPOLIS – A Marion County Superior Court Judge has granted a motion to close the receivership that temporarily took over the administration of the former Indiana Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Inc., or INCASA.  Due to financial insolvency, INCASA was forced to suspend operations and lay off its employees in June 2014.

Under his statutory authority to intervene on behalf of the public interest, Attorney General Greg Zoeller’ s legal action successfully sought the receivership in November 2014, following an agreement with INCASA’s board of directors to step aside so that a court-appointed receiver could attempt to reorganize the nonprofit corporation.

Zoeller thanked attorney Deborah J. Daniels who stepped in as receiver for the embattled organization and who spent the last two years auditing INCASA’s finances, marshalling assets and working with creditors to determine whether INCASA could survive. Daniels is a former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana and former U.S. Department of Justice Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) where she managed the research and grant-making office of the department.

“The newly formed Coalition has made tremendous strides in the year it was formed to raise funds, begin training and provide support to many victims of sexual assault across our state. I appreciate the hard work that went into this process to determine the best approach for the benefit of sexual assault victims,” Attorney General Greg Zoeller said. “I want to commend Deborah Daniels for bringing the management skills and credibility to this difficult work that took a bad situation and helped allow us to move forward with the important mission of assisting and supporting victims of sexual assault.”

While the receivership’s original intent was to restore INCASA, Daniel’s recommended, and it was eventually determined, that Indiana would be best served by creating a separate, freestanding entity with a singular focus on ending sexual assault and dedicated to supporting service providers and victim recovery programs in Indiana.

In September 2015, the Indiana Coalition to End Sexual Assault (ICESA) opened its doors with the mission to empower Indiana communities to end sexual assault and to serve those impacted by it through comprehensive training, advocacy, increased public awareness and coordinated sexual assault services. Having secured over $1 million in funding from federal and state grants, the IN General Assembly, private foundations, and individual donors, ICESA has experienced tremendous growth.

“The ICESA staff and Board of Directors have been working diligently to build a strong and sustaining foundation for the coalition,” said ICESA Interim Director Tracey Krueger. “We are committed to making sure that survivors have access to appropriate and compassionate sexual assault services and to working with communities across Indiana to implement effective prevention strategies with the ultimate goal of ending sexual violence in our state.”

The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has long worked to assist programs protecting victims of all forms of sexual abuse, domestic violence and human trafficking.

Zoeller created the Victims Services and Outreach Division to bring all organizations serving victims of sexual and domestic abuse together to train and educate advocates and the public. The OAG also administers programs to protect domestic violence victims through address confidentiality and access to a “Hope Card,” evidence of a protective order that can be easily carried by victims of violence.

Zoeller thanked Deborah Daniels, Receiver and Ruth Rivera, Deputy Attorney General for their efforts in bringing this case to a successful resolution.