It’s become a major controversy between the Indiana Inspector General and the Marion County Prosecutor. Earlier this year, the Inspector General Dave Thomas conducted an investigation into whether former Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Tony Bennett broke state laws or state ethics rules when it became public knowledge that Bennett and some of his employees in the Indiana Department of Education used state-owned equipment and state offices to conduct campaigning during the 2012 election. It was also alleged that Bennett and staffers used state owned telephones and vehicles to conduct campaign business. In November, 2013, Inspector General Thomas found that Bennett committed ethics violations and Bennett was fined and admonished. But earlier this week, media reported that the Inspector General’s investigator found extensive evidence of possible violations of state criminal laws concerning “ghost employment” and possible violations of Federal wire fraud laws.
The reports were another devastating bombshell regarding Bennett’s conduct in office. But the reports also raised issues of what did Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry know about the Inspector General’s investigation. In a live Afternoons with Amos interview, Curry contends that his office did not receive the detailed investigation materials the Inspector General’s investigator uncovered in his extensive investigation, which was contained in a 95 page report along with scores of documents Inspector General Thomas contends he sent to Curry in February of this year. In the interview with Amos, Prosecutor Curry maintains that he never saw the material and doesn’t believe the materials were ever received by his office. However, in the interview, Prosecutor Curry acknowledged that there could’ve been a mistake; that the evidence could have been received. Curry though is critical of how the Inspector General conducts his investigations. Curry’s also concerned by a lack of base touching with Curry who by state law is charged with evaluating potential criminal charges against state employees in Marion County. It’s a controversy about what did Curry receive from Inspector General Thomas and when did he receive it. Curry has now requested the material from the FBI; because the evidence had also been provided by the Inspector General to the US Attorney’s Office. Click the Media Player to hear Prosecutor Terry Curry’s Afternoons with Amos Interview on this aspect of the continuing Tony Bennett Scandals. Runs 15 Minutes. ©2014 WTLC/Radio One.
