Zachary A. Myers, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, has announced the retirement of Assistant United States Attorney James M. Warden after nearly four decades of service. Myers praised Warden as "one of the finest and most dedicated public servants," highlighting his commitment to public protection and accountability.
Warden's career began on May 20, 1985, when he was appointed by then-U.S. Attorney John D. Tinder. He retires as the longest-serving attorney in the history of the Southern District of Indiana's U.S. Attorney’s Office, spanning seven U.S. Attorneys and twelve Attorneys General.
Throughout his tenure, Warden led investigations into various offenses including criminal tax violations, complex frauds, violent crime, and public corruption. Notably, he handled several landmark cases such as the district’s first money laundering prosecution and car-jacking conviction in 1999.
Among his notable achievements is prosecuting former Marion County Chief Deputy Prosecutor David Wyser for accepting a bribe in 2013. Warden also played a key role at Terre Haute's Federal Correctional Complex handling serious crimes like murders and assaults against staff.
Beyond prosecution work, Warden founded and chaired the Indiana Bank Fraud Working Group for 35 years and contributed significantly to financial crime task forces while mentoring colleagues.
Warden graduated from Indiana University-Bloomington in 1974 with an undergraduate degree followed by a law degree from Indiana University School of Law-Indianapolis in 1977. His legal career began as a municipal court public defender before becoming a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in Hancock County and later Marion County until joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office where he held leadership roles.
In addition to his legal career, Warden served over thirty years in the United States Navy achieving Captain rank and serving as a military judge.