State Rep. Angela Rigas on Friday sent a letter to Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom urging him to investigate discrepancies in State Rep. Kristian Grant’s tax filings for COVID-19 small business recovery funds.

“It’s disgusting that a colleague in our own chamber may have misrepresented her status as a small business owner and abused positions of power to steal taxpayer dollars from other small businesses,” said Rigas, R-Caledonia. “I fought to keep my small business open during COVID. A lot of people couldn’t keep their doors open. Claiming relief dollars when you know you don’t qualify is nothing short of criminal.”

Kent County officials recently confirmed discrepancies surrounding $15,000 in COVID-19 relief grants awarded to state Rep. Kristian Grant, D-Grand Rapids, in 2020. After those discrepancies came to light, Rep. Grant communicated to county officials that she filed an amended 2019 tax return to reflect larger sales numbers for her day-planner business to meet the requirements of the grant. However, she has now acknowledged that she never actually amended her tax return, and instead returned $5,000 to the county a few weeks ago.

“Public officials, especially those serving on a tax policy committee, should be held to a higher standard of accountability than the general public,” Rigas wrote in her letter to GRPD. “Rep. Grant’s reporting discrepancies against the county are unacceptable, and she must be held accountable for her actions. Your office is in the best position to defend the public against her questionable acts.”

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