This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2008, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
WASHINGTON _ A senior Justice Department prosecutor will work with Utah, Arizona and Nevada to review how the federal government can help attack polygamy related crimes.
That revelation comes in a letter penned by Senate Majority Harry Reid.
Reid, writing this week to Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff and Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard, said that U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey has appointed a senior, career prosecutor to work with the Western states' officials on how federal authorities might help "tackle this complex problem" of crimes in polygamous sects.
The move is essentially seen as a preliminary step toward a federal task force on polygamy.
"Working together, I believe federal and state authorities can do even more to address the epidemic of lawlessness in polygamous communities throughout the southwestern United States," Reid wrote.
