State Rep. Jay DeBoyer has sent a letter to state Attorney General Dana Nessel calling for an investigation into a fellow Michigan House member to deliver accountability to people throughout the state.

A Detroit News report recently disclosed that state Rep. Kristian Grant (D-Grand Rapids) misled Kent County officials regarding a previous tax filing. A Kent County administrator confirmed in the report that Grant claimed in 2023 to have filed amended 2019 tax returns for COVID-19 small business assistance aid given discrepancies that were found but had actually failed to do so. Following this reporting, Grant returned $5,000 in assistance money.

“Some people think that’s good enough, but it isn’t,” said DeBoyer, of Clay Township. “Public officials should be held to a higher standard, and instances where they are able to abuse public assistance for personal gain need to be thoroughly investigated and fixed. No one should get a ‘get out of jail free’ card simply for being an elected official.”

DeBoyer said several questions surrounding the transgressions remain unanswered, such as if fraudulent documents were delivered to the Internal Revenue Service or Kent County, and how a mistake that delivered thousands of dollars to the representative was only uncovered years later through an investigative news report. DeBoyer said these are questions that can’t simply be swept under the rug – especially given Michigan’s poor record with government integrity and transparency.

In multiple news stories and press releases, Attorney General Nessel has promised to aggressively pursue individuals who have taken advantage of government aid programs such as the Paycheck Protection Program that Rep. Grant wrongfully benefitted from. The state went as far as extraditing a woman from Texas in December on suspicions of PPP loan fraud, and Nessel said in a recent press release on the ongoing trial that defrauding one’s country, neighbors and fellow Americans via federal loan programs “cannot be tolerated.”

“It’s important the attorney general is held to her word and investigates another concerning situation involving PPP dollars,” DeBoyer said. “We can’t push pause on delivering accountability because of political affiliation. The circumstances surrounding Rep. Grant’s applications, her tax filings, and the funding she was awarded still don’t add up. They must be looked into immediately.”

DeBoyer concludes the letter by writing: “In her role, (Rep. Grant) also represents tens of thousands of taxpayers whose hard-earned money helped fund these vital programs and other recovery fund applicants and recipients who did things the right way. Those are good, honest people who are watching a sitting representative get away with something that would put them in prison for years. They deserve justice. We have a responsibility to ensure government programs are working as intended for people who need them, while deterring bad actors from abusing the system – no matter who they are.”