FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEWS RELEASE
October 23, 2018
For More Information, contact:
Mike Lewis (334) 353-2199
Steve Marshall
Joy Patterson (334) 242-7491
Page 1 of 1
Alabama Attorney General
Attorney General Steve Marshall Announces Sentencing of Former
ALEA Narcotics Officer for Computer Tampering and Ethics Charges
(MONTGOMERY)–Attorney General Steve Marshall today announced the sentencing of a
former Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) officer to serve 60 days in jail for 13
charges, including 12 counts of computer tampering and an ethics charge of using his public
position for personal gain. Steven Wrea Ziaja, 40, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges on
October 22 and was sentenced by Montgomery County Circuit Judge James Anderson.
Judge Anderson sentenced Ziaja to 12 months, split to serve 60 days in jail, on all counts. This
will be followed by a term of probation for three months or until all conditions of his
sentence are completed, including payment of fines, court costs and fees As a part of his
plea agreement, Ziaja will forfeit his certification as a law enforcement officer and will be
forever barred from serving as a law enforcement officer in Alabama in the future.
Without notifying his supervisors at ALEA, Ziaja began selling cars for a Morgan County car
lot in 2014 and invested in its parent organization, Priceville Partners. When purchasers
failed to make payments on cars purchased from the lot, Ziaja used the Law Enforcement
Tactical System (LETS) search feature to obtain information on purchasers, including
information about purchasers’ family members, so that the repossessors could more easily
find the purchasers’ cars. Ziaja used the computer search information, which is legally
restricted to criminal justice purposes, to assist with the private business’s repossessions in
Morgan and Jefferson counties, either by running the searches himself or by disseminating
search information run by another person.
“Mr. Ziaja misused his law enforcement position for personal gain and therefore betrayed the
public’s trust,” said Attorney General Marshall.
Attorney General Marshall thanked ALEA for its investigative assistance in this case. He
commended Assistant Attorney General Peggy Rossmanith and Special Agents of the
Attorney General’s Special Prosecutions Division for their outstanding work to achieve this
conviction.
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501 Washington Avenue * Montgomery, AL 36104 * (334) 242-7300
www.ago.state.al.us
