New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is replacing the chairwoman of the state ethics board he created more than a year ago with a lawyer who once represented Wall Street swindler Bernard Madoff.
Cuomo says lawyer Daniel Horwitz, a former assistant district attorney in Manhattan, will take over from Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore as head of the Joint Commission on Public Ethics.
Cuomo says DiFiore is being replaced because she's running for re-election as Westchester's top prosecutor.
DiFiore presided over the first 16 months of the commission's existence after Cuomo pushed an ethics enforcement overhaul.
So far, the commission has been criticized for its secrecy and lack of action against powerful targets.
A Cuomo spokesman says the governor knew Horwitz had represented Madoff, but that it wasn't a concern
Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
