The FBI's Public Corruption unit has begun investigating efforts by Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey's past and current staffers - including one who is now a federal judge - to push for a closed-door deal to issue tax refunds worth as much as $100 million to aid one of Ducey's campaign supporters.
Grant Nulle, former deputy director at the Department of Revenue, said an FBI agent contacted him in mid-July, shortly after an Arizona Republic investigation uncovered how the Ducey administration had pushed the department to agree to refund sales taxes on fuel for mining companies, even though that tax had been in place for decades.
The top three deputies in Ducey's administration left their government jobs and went to work for Ryan to push for the tax refund.
Ducey said he was not aware of any FBI investigation.
That investigation appeared to go dormant until February when The Arizona Republic inquired about the refund campaign and the involvement of former and current Ducey staffers.
That's because the tax break would have resulted in about a $10 million refund for international mining firm Freeport McMoRan, where her father, Harry "Red" Conger, was president and chief operating officer, and also was a major campaign contributor to Ducey.
Ducey's administration fired both Woodruff and Nulle shortly after Christmas 2020, following the Revenue Department taking a position contrary to Ducey on a ballot measure.
Wednesday, September 1, 2021
FBI Investigating Ducey Tax Refund Campaign
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