State Rep. Jay DeBoyer today touted the continued work of House Republicans and legislative panels to examine accusations of misconduct and deliver accountability for the people of Michigan.

Fay Beydoun, a former Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) executive committee member and Gov. Whitmer appointee, was recently charged with 16 felonies involving a $20 million state legislative grant that was awarded under questionable circumstances to a shell company she operated.

“Taxpayer-funded grants should provide return for taxpayers. They are not personal piggybanks for bureaucrats,” said DeBoyer, of Clay Township. “This incredible, brazen corruption has no place in our state, and we must continue to root out misconduct in state government. These charges were a long time coming. Multiple former associates of Fay Beydoun had sounded the alarm about misuses of these funds and House Republicans demanded the state put a stop to this before more tax dollars were squandered. There must be clear vetting of these types of projects going forward, and that is what we have been pushing for as part of the budget process. We owe that to hardworking people who are affording state government their tax dollars year after year.”

In 2024, DeBoyer sent a letter to MEDC demanding action after a Detroit News report highlighted lavish spending and inappropriate uses of grant dollars, including a $4,500 payment for a coffee maker and an $11,000 flight to Europe. DeBoyer called on the MEDC to halt and immediately review the grant project while also calling on state Attorney General Dana Nessel to look into the expenditures. An investigation into Beydoun was announced shortly after DeBoyer sent the letter.

“Maintaining the public’s trust is vital,” DeBoyer said. “When people see questionable practices or, in this case, outright failure and illegal activity, they lose faith in their elected leaders and our institutions. That can’t be the status quo. Everyone serving in state government or within its departments has a responsibility to act in the best interest of the people – not themselves.”

As House Oversight Committee Chair during the current legislative term, DeBoyer has emphasized greater transparency and accountability within state government. He has spearheaded committee hearings and investigations on failures within the state’s Department of Health and Human Services to protect children, broken leadership at the Michigan State Police that saw misconduct and impacted trooper morale, bureaucratic overreach of the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, ineffectiveness and cost overruns on taxpayer-funded projects within the Secretary of State’s office, and more.