Deputy Attorney General Recognizes Assistant U.S. Attorney Shannon Cozzoni for her Work as Tribal Liaison

Assistant U.S. Attorney Shannon Cozzoni, Tribal Liaison for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Oklahoma, was one of 172 members of the Department of Justice recognized by Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, and Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys (EOUSA) Director James Crowell, IV, at the 35th Director’s Awards Ceremony today in Washington, D.C.

The Northern District of Oklahoma was one of 31 districts represented at the ceremony held in the Great Hall at the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building. Cozzoni was recognized for her superior performance as Tribal Liaison in Indian Country.

Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen addressed the recipients and guests, saying, “Today’s honorees have earned the esteem of their colleagues.  But most importantly, you have earned the gratitude of your fellow citizens — whose communities you have made safer, whose lives you have improved, and whose trust you have rewarded.”

“The Department of Justice is in truth a deployed force,” said EOUSA Director James Crowell to the recipients. “Your work isn’t easy, but it is vital to the functioning and enduring nature of our democracy. As federal prosecutors, we are held to a higher standard, a standard that requires us to ensure that we uphold the rule of law and the fundamental rules of fairness in every trial, every settlement, every plea, and every legal argument in which we are involved.”

Cozzoni is a stalwart advocate for justice as the Tribal Liaison to fourteen tribes in the Northern District of Oklahoma. Cozzoni has strengthened the relationship between the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Tribes, and likewise, she has expanded the collaborative partnership between federal, state, local, and tribal authorities.

“Assistant U.S. Attorney Shannon Cozzoni isn’t just a great Indian Country prosecutor, she’s a great person. This national recognition was well deserved and hard earned. I am incredibly proud to have her on our team,” said U.S. Attorney Trent Shores of the Northern District of Oklahoma. “AUSA Cozzoni exhibits excellence in the courtroom and shows genuine care for victims of violent crime. She regularly goes above and beyond the call of duty to help Native American women and children who are victims of domestic violence or sexual abuse. As our Tribal Liaison, she ensures that the United States upholds its federal trust responsibilities to Native Americans. AUSA Cozzoni does it all. She is truly an outstanding advocate for justice in Indian Country.”

As Tribal Liaison, Cozzoni prosecutes cases involving Native American victims and defendants, and she educates legal and law enforcement professionals on justice issues affecting communities in Indian Country. During the past year, Cozzoni organized and led victim service roundtables for tribal and state law enforcement and victim service providers. She also developed and taught accredited, joint training courses to tribal and local police departments in eleven counties, covering topics like cross-deputization agreements, domestic violence, and the opioid epidemic. Cozzoni further orchestrated three days of meetings for the Native American Issues Subcommittee to the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee, which were held at the Muscogee (Creek) and Cherokee Nations in Oklahoma. In hosting the 32 U.S. Attorneys who serve Native American and Alaska Native communities, Cozzoni developed an agenda focused on violent crime reduction, opioid abuse enforcement, victims’ rights, and white-collar crimes in Indian Country.

EOUSA provides oversight, general executive assistance, and direction to the 94 United States Attorneys’ offices around the country. For more information on EOUSA and its mission, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao.