Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, is investigating Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs following a report that her administration gave pay increases to a state contractor and political donor.
A recent story in The Arizona Republic details how the state increased the pay rate to Sunshine Residential Homes, while payments to similar contractors decreased. This was after a child died at the facility.
Jakob Blodgett, a 9-year-old boy, passed away in 2022. According to a lawsuit filed against the home and the state by Blodgett’s father, the boy died from diabetes complications after not receiving insulin.
The group home donated $400,000 to Hobbs and Democratic politics in the state before receiving pay increases.
Republican Sen. T.J. Shope (R-Coolidge) requested that Mitchell and Mayes’ offices investigate.
“You have the terrible issue of the young man Jakob Blodgett passing away in one of these facilities owned by Sunshine, and then months later, that organization being essentially rewarded with a major increase when others, who to my knowledge anyway, didn’t potentially injure or neglect a child, were not given that opportunity,” Shope said.
“It’s very angering, and I think everyone should go ahead and put politics aside and say, did that make sense?” Shope added.
A spokesperson for Hobbs said the governor will be cleared of wrongdoing.
Department of Child Safety Cabinet Executive Director David Lujan is cooperating and responsive, according to Shope.
It’s unclear whether Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell’s office will also investigate the matter with the Auditor General’s office.
“My chief deputy is scheduling a meeting between the Auditor General’s staff members who will conduct the investigation and assigned staff from my office. We will keep you both apprised to the degree possible as we take next steps in this matter,” Mitchell wrote in a letter on June 6.
But Mayes asked her not to conduct an identical investigation into the same matter.
“The Attorney General shall supervise the prosecution of all offenders investigated by the Auditor General. The Criminal Division of my office is statutorily authorized to investigate the allegations and offenses outlined in Senator Shope’s referral,” Mayes wrote to Mitchell. “It would not be appropriate or in the best interest of the state to conduct parallel investigations into the same matter. Furthermore, a separate process conducted by the MCAO could jeopardize the integrity of the criminal investigation that my office will now proceed with.”
A spokesperson for the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office did not say Friday whether Mitchell will hold off on investigating the matter, only “the county attorney is reviewing the letter at this time.”
GOP lawmakers in the House of Representatives are calling for Mayes to be impeached and thrown out of office for allegedly abusing her power against Republicans.
But Shope said what’s going on in the House has nothing to do with him. “I have to believe that the Attorney General and the office that she has, has many attorneys and prosecutors who have served for various AGs, will do the best job that they can,” he said.
In terms of the Legislature’s role, Shope said they’ll review the home’s contracts, and he hopes this doesn't get in the way of ongoing state budget negotiations.
“This case raises a major red flag with what's happening behind closed doors on the ninth floor," Senate President Warren Petersen (R-Gilbert) said in a statement. “With the state in the middle of a budget shortfall, and with what appears to be a pay-to-play scheme now exposed, the Legislature has a lot of questions we will be seeking answers to from both the Governor's office and DCS. … We will continue to serve Arizonans as the check and balance against any abuse of power displayed by our Executive and the agencies under her administration."
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