State Lawmaker Calls for Prosecutor to Investigate Hogsett

INDIANAPOLIS –A Republican state representative is calling on the Marion County prosecutor to investigate Democratic Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett and his administration following investigations by IndyStar and Mirror Indy.

Indianapolis Rep. Andrew Ireland, an attorney who represents the southeast corner of Marion County, said the revelations by the news outlets so far are “more than enough” for Prosecutor Ryan Mears, a Democrat who has been Hogsett’s political rival, to move forward with a formal inquiry.

“I’m not saying anyone should be charged today, but if the Marion County prosecutor is at all serious about public corruption, he should open an investigation or request a special prosecutor immediately,” Ireland told the outlets. “Taxpayer money isn’t a campaign slush fund.”

Ireland, a former deputy attorney general for the state of Indiana who now works in private practice, said there’s only so far journalists can go to investigate issues of wrongdoing. A law enforcement investigation would have more fact-finding resources.

Mears did not respond to requests for interviews but his spokesperson Michael Leffler sent a brief statement on Friday afternoon.

“As with any matter presented by law enforcement, our office would review the evidence and determine whether charges are warranted,” Leffler told the outlets.

It’s unclear if Leffler was referring to a specific law enforcement entity or inquiry.

The mayor’s office also did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Ireland’s remarks.

A June 23 investigation by IndyStar/Mirror Indy found that Hogsett’s campaign worked behind closed doors to advance the interests of his donors.

That included his top campaign fundraiser, Emily Gurwitz, arranging for wish lists of donors’ preferred city contracts to be hand-delivered to the city’s then-top public works official, Dan Parker, who later served as Hogsett’s chief of staff. Parker has since resigned to work for a major city contractor, which also has raised alarm bells with ethics experts.

Hogsett has denied his fundraiser was involved in any contracting process and called the news outlets’ reporting “absurd.” IndyStar and Mirror Indy reviewed records that confirmed the existence of the project wish lists.

Ethics experts questioned the arrangement. At least one legal expert said it could run afoul of Indiana’s bribery law, though others said it would be hard to build a case around the issue based on the facts known at present. The mayor’s office has not answered several questions about the arrangement.

It’s “at best questionable and at worst a violation of the law,” Danielle Caputo, senior legal counsel for ethics with the Washington, D.C.-based Campaign Legal Center, previously told reporters.