Date: January 5, 2017
ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEY SCOTT ZIDBECK PROMOTED TO SENIOR ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEY
SANTA ANA, Calif. – Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas has announced the promotion of Assistant District Attorney Scott Zidbeck to the position of Senior Assistant District Attorney assigned to oversee Vertical Prosecutions and Violent Crimes.
Senior Assistant District Attorney Scott Zidbeck was born in San Diego, California. He was later adopted by retired United States Navy Captain William Edward Zidbeck and JoAnn Marie Zidbeck.
Zidbeck graduated from the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) with a bachelor of arts degree in 1987. While attending UCSB, he played Division I tennis for four years.
Zidbeck then attended California Western School of Law in San Diego, where he earned his juris doctor degree. He worked as a tennis instructor throughout college and law school. Zidbeck also briefly played professional tennis after his undergraduate studies and during law school.
In 1990, Zidbeck joined the Orange County District Attorney’s Office (OCDA) as a law clerk. He was officially sworn in in December 1990 upon passing the bar exam and has served 26 years in the office to the present date. He was initially assigned to the Family Support Division and to Municipal Court Operations, where he worked in all five Municipal Courts before advancing to Felony Panel. After completing Felony Panel, Zidbeck served as a trial attorney handling vertical prosecutions in the Career Criminal Unit, the TARGET Unit, the Environmental Protection Unit, the Gang Unit, and the Special Prosecutions Unit.
In December 2006, Zidbeck was promoted to Assistant Head of Court and assisted supervision of both the North Justice Center and the Felony Panel for three years. In February 2010, he was appointed to Assistant District Attorney and was named the Head of Court and Program Director of the Insurance Fraud Unit where he supervised the deputy district attorneys assigned to the Workers’ Compensation Fraud, Healthcare Fraud, Automobile Fraud, Urban Auto Fraud, and the Orange County Auto Theft Task Force programs.
In September 2014, Zidbeck transferred to be the Head of Court for the Gang Unit where he helped oversee the consolidation of the OCDA’s Gang and TARGET Units over the past year and a half.
“Scott has done a great job in every assignment he has had. He has tremendous work ethic, is a great trial lawyer, and a good leader. We have high expectations,” stated District Attorney Tony Rackauckas.
“I am honored to be entrusted with this position by Mr. Rackauckas,” stated Zidbeck. “I look forward to implementing his vision for the future of our office and ensure that we continue to conduct our prosecutions with respect, fairness, and justice for all parties. I hope to lead our office’s efforts to prosecute violent crimes in a manner that brings a sense of justice and resolution to crime victims while respecting the due process rights of the accused that form the basis for the credibility of our system.”