A Marion County grand jury is investigating city development deals involving Thomas Cook, Mayor Joe Hogsett’s former chief of staff, and allegations of unlawful touching and communication.
Quarterly grand jury reports obtained by IndyStar through a public records request show that the grand jury met five times in November and December and heard testimony from “investigations of unlawful touching and/or unlawful communications by a public servant or individual” between 2019 and 2023, as well as “unlawful pecuniary benefits in the contracts of public servants and/or former public servants.”
The full scope of the grand jury investigation is unclear, but the report follows an IndyStar and MirrorIndy investigation that found Cook, Hogsett’s former right-hand man, took a job at a prominent downtown law firm after leaving the city and then leveraged his ties to Hogsett by helping high-profile developer clients secure millions of dollars worth of city awards from Hogsett’s administration. Some of those clients were donors to Hogsett’s campaign.
The incentives have raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest because the person who leads a city agency that has the power to recommend which projects receive taxpayer funds is the same woman whose relationship led to Cook’s resignation from the city.
The city’s Metropolitan Development Department, then led by Scarlett Andrews, awarded or recommended at least $80 million to projects linked to Cook’s clients.
In 2024, Cook was accused of sexual misconduct by three women who had worked under Cook over the past decade. In a 2024 IndyStar article, Lauren Roberts, Caroline Ehlert and a third anonymous woman accused him of sexual harassment and abuse of power, with Ehlert also accusing him of sexually assaulting her in 2019.
An investigation later ordered by the Indianapolis City-County Council revealed that Cook was forced to resign from the Hogsett administration in 2020 because of a prohibited relationship with Andrews, who was not one of the three women who accused Cook of inappropriate behavior.
The fourth-quarter grand jury report did not detail other details of its investigation because most details are confidential. Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mills declined to comment on the grand jury report.
A previous quarterly report showed that the Marion County grand jury met at least once in the fourth quarter of 2024 to hear testimony in the investigation.
Neither Cook nor Andrews has been charged with a crime, and the grand jury investigation does not indicate that a crime occurred. They did not respond to the Indy Star’s request for comment on the grand jury.
Indiana law defines a pecuniary interest as an interest in a contract or purchase if it will result in or is intended to result in an “ascertainable increase in the income or net worth of a public servant or his or her dependents.”
Indiana law also provides that if a public servant knowingly or knowingly has a pecuniary interest in, or derives profit from, a contract or purchase related to the actions of the government entity for which he or she serves, it constitutes a conflict of interest, which is a Class 6 felony.
It’s unclear whether anyone from the mayor’s office or administration has been interviewed by the grand jury. A spokesman for Hogsett declined to comment, saying “it is not appropriate for anyone to comment on grand jury proceedings.”
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Cook was fired from the law firm Bose McKinney & Evans in July 2024 after IndyStar reported that three women who reported to him in various roles accused him of harassment, including allegations of abuse. Hogsett knew that at least one woman, Lauren Roberts, had made accusations against Cook several years ago and said he verbally condemned Cook. Cook has since apologized for “violating the trust placed in me” in the relationship.
Boss later told IndyStar and Mirror Indy that the law firm was never informed that Cook had been disciplined by the city or asked to resign.
A grand jury is investigating Cook’s actions, after IndyStar reported from 2024 that Indiana State Police detectives and the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office had previously interviewed multiple people about Cook’s alleged actions.
Law enforcement officials from both agencies said at the time they could not confirm the existence of an investigation, but IndyStar confirmed that Indiana State Police detectives have reviewed potential evidence and coordinated with the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office to interview multiple people regarding Cook.
Contact Senior Government Accountability Reporter Hayleigh Colombo at hcolombo@indystar.com or follow her on X @hayleighcolombo.
Contact investigative reporter Tony Cook at tony.cook@indystar.com or follow him on X @indystartony.
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This article originally appeared in The Indianapolis Star: Grand jury probe into contract involving former Hogsett deputy Thomas Cook