FORT WAYNE, Ind. — A newly released state audit examining operations at the Indiana Economic Development Corporation is drawing attention across Indiana, prompting discussion about transparency, oversight, and how taxpayer funds are monitored. The audit, which spans 127 pages, reviews seve ral aspects of the agency’s operations, including contracts, donor relationships and travel spending. Supporters say the report raises questions about oversight, while others say the findings are being overstated. During an appearance Friday on Fort Wayne’s Morning News, local businessman and state Senate candidate Darren Vogt discussed the audit and his own proposal for broader financial oversight in state government. Vogt is challenging Liz Brown for the District 15 seat in the Indiana State Senate. Host Kayla Blakeslee asked Vogt to summarize the findings of the report for listeners who may not have read the lengthy document. “Frankly, I haven’t read that audit yet either,” Vogt said. “But I applaud the governor for looking at audits because it’s important that we figure out where the taxpayers’ money is going. We all work too hard for our dollar to not understand where it’s being spent.” Proposal for a “Great Hoosier Audit” Vogt said his own proposal, which he refers to as the “Great Hoosier Audit,” would examine spending across the entire state government rather than focusing on a single agency. “My Hoosier audit looks at the top to bottom,” Vogt said. “We should be looking at state spending with tools like AI fraud detection and investigators to see patterns of fraud or misuse.” According to Vogt, the concept would involve identifying unusual spending patterns across multiple programs and departments. “One percent of the Indiana budget is $220 million,” Vogt said. “So I hope we don’t have that kind of fraud, waste and abuse out there. But we should always be looking for it.” AI-Based Fraud Detection During the interview, Vogt said the proposal would include technology designed to identify irregularities in government programs. He described potential examples of how automated systems might flag suspicious activity. “Why is a permit being pulled from the same address on a regular basis?” Vogt said. “Or when you look at contracting fraud, why is a company that had the lowest bid suddenly doing 25 change orders on every project?” Vogt said systems that analyze patterns could detect such trends in real time. “AI fraud detection looks at patterns and learns as bad actors go,” he said. “It adapts to each situation.” Funding Questions Blakeslee asked Vogt how such an audit system might be funded if implemented. “There are plenty of ways to look at that,” Vogt said. “The state has a reserve of billions of dollars that it can look at spending.” He added that the initiative could also be incorporated into the state budget process. “You build this kind of thing into the budget,” Vogt said. “Departments would need to find ways to pay for it within their own budgets because taxpayers should have this protection automatically.” Response to Criticism During the interview, Blakeslee read a statement from Brown responding to Vogt’s proposal and campaign positions. The statement criticized Vogt’s campaign and referenced previous local policy debates, including issues related to school facilities and property tax referendums. Brown also said recent legislation she supported addressed fraud prevention and reporting requirements in government programs. Responding to the statement, Vogt said he intends to continue promoting oversight measures. “The First Amendment gives you the ability for politicians to lie,” Vogt said. “Sometimes they’re desperate to hold on to power.” He said his campaign will continue focusing on taxpayer protections and oversight of public spending. “I’m going to continue to put ideas forward to protect your tax dollars,” Vogt said. Measuring Success When asked what success would look like if a statewide audit program were implemented, Vogt said the best outcome would be finding no fraud at all. “Success would be that we didn’t have any fraud,” Vogt said. “But if there is fraud detected, then we return the money to taxpayers or make sure it gets to the intended use.” He added that penalties for fraud should serve as a deterrent. “You want to make sure that bad actors pay a price for trying to defraud Hoosier taxpayers,” Vogt said. The audit of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation and the discussion surrounding oversight measures come as the state approaches future budget cycles, when lawmakers in the Indiana General Assembly will evaluate spending priorities and financial controls across state government. The post WOWO EXCLUSIVE – Darren Vogt discusses “Great Hoosier Audit” with Kayla appeared first on WOWO News/Talk 92.3 FM and 1190 AM. ...read more read less