The Indiana Office of Inspector General will no longer publish summaries of its investigations into alleged fraud, mismanagement and wrongdoing in state government.
State law classifies OIG investigative reports as confidential, but reports can be released if the governor or inspector general determines the information is in the public’s interest.
In the past, inspectors general have waived confidentiality when investigations identified government waste or resulted in criminal or ethics charges.
Inspector General Jared Prentice is taking a different approach following a review OIG officials say raised questions about legal risk.
The reports could spook future witnesses from coming forward and may contain information about a respondent that has not been found true by the inspector general, State Ethics Commission, a court or a jury — potentially denying the accused a chance to respond, they said.
“This ensures case information is strictly presented publicly before the State Ethics Commission or by a prosecutor to the court so the accused has the opportunity to respond via the appropriate mechanisms of due process,” a spokesperson said.
What is OIG releasing?
Former Gov. Mitch Daniels created the Office of Inspector Genera in 2005 to investigate allegations of waste, fraud, abuse, mismanagement and wrongdoing in state government.
Investigative reports, which generally do not include the names of uncharged persons, are publicly available online dating back to the office’s founding — except for the years 2006 and 2026.
The OIG released nine investigative reports last year summarizing investigations into contingency fee contracts, falsified case management entries, improper gifts, falsified time sheets and other allegations.
This year: None.
The OIG issued two news releases when criminal charges were filed against a former case manager from the Department of Child Services and an employee from the Indiana Veterans’ Home.
Court records and State Ethics Commission reports remain public record, offering at least partial access to information the OIG used to release.
But if criminal or ethics charges aren’t warranted the public won’t know of key allegations or findings. For instance, in 2023, a report showed that the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration lost dozens of laptops, worth thousands in the chaos of setting up and winding down a statewide vaccination hotline during the height of the pandemic.
The office is still summarizing its work in quarterly and annual reports.
In the first quarter of this year, the OIG processed 1,300 financial disclosure statements from 2025, issued 55 informal advisory opinions, took 150 hotline complaints, launched nine investigations, closed 28 cases and issued eight caution letters prompting corrective action.
OIG investigations contributed to 22 counts in five criminal cases, identifying more than $100,000 is misconduct and returning $33,000 to the state, according to the quarterly report.
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