An outside investigation is underway into how Gilbert Vice Mayor Chuck Bongiovanni got wind of a debunked rumor about an Arizona Republic reporter during the height of the paper's coverage of the "Gilbert Goons."
The investigation could answer several questions about where the rumor came from and whether anyone working for the Town of Gilbert was involved and if any committed wrongdoing.
1. Who started the rumor about the 'Gilbert Goons' reporter?
The rumor started in 2024 after text messages obtained by The Republic showed Bongiovanni alleging Republic reporter Robert Anglen had a grudge against Gilbert Police because of a "little personal issue," according to the text.
The text exchange came two weeks after Anglen reached out to Bongiovanni and Gilbert police Chief Michael Soelberg about the department's
handling of "Gilbert Goons" beatings.
The text didn't explicitly say what the alleged issue was, but Gilbert Police records show a different Robert Anglen was arrested in 2013 on suspicion of harassing his ex-girlfriend.
That Robert Anglen has a different birth date, physical description and middle name from The Republic reporter with the same first and last names.
Bongiovanni claimed, in an Oct. 1 phone interview, he heard the rumor "in a public place." He didn't specify where this public place was and said he didn't turn around to see the speaker.
We still don't know the actual origin of the rumor, how widely it circulated, and whether any town employees were involved.
2. What are Gilbert's hired investigators looking into?
The town's investigation appears to be solely into how Bongiovanni came across the false information, whether it came from a non-public source, and whether police databases were accessed, according to an email chain between Town Manager Mario Paniagua and Councilmember-Elect Bill Spence obtained by The Republic.
It's not clear whether the investigation's scope will expand based on the investigation's findings.
Van Dermyden Makus Law Corporation, the firm hired by the Town of Gilbert, said it updates investigative plans as necessary, according to a page on the firm's website.
3. Were any Gilbert police resources used?
That's the crux of what investigators are trying to find out. The concerns were initially prompted by an email from Councilmember-Elect Beth Goulden.
In her email, Goulden raised several questions including what steps the town had taken to investigate Bongiovanni, whether Police Chief Michael Soelburg or any other police department employees were involved, and whether the town audited its databases to guard against misuse.
4. Why did Gilbert hire an outside firm?
Town Manager Paniagua reasoned in his emails that hiring an outside firm would avoid the appearance of bias compared to an internal town-led investigation.
Paniagua framed the probe as "an internal employee investigation" to determine if police resources were misused.
When pushed by Spence about bringing in the Arizona Department of Public Safety, Paniagua reasoned that there currently was no evidence of criminal wrongdoing.
"The independent investigation will establish the facts and inform whether a referral to an appropriate law enforcement agency is warranted," he said.
5. How much will the investigation cost taxpayers?
Town officials said the cost of the investigation won't be known until after it's complete.
Costs come down to a number of factors including the amount of evidence, the seriousness of the allegations, and the thoroughness of the report, according to the Van Dermyden Makus Law Corporation's website.
6. When will the findings be released?
Town officials have said they will determine next steps once the investigation is complete. It's not clear when that will be.
Reporter Harrison Mantas, who covers Mesa, Gilbert, Queen Creek and San Tan Valley, can be reached at hmantas@azcentral.com. Follow him on X @HarrisonMantas or Instagram @harrisonmantas
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 6 questions about Gilbert's probe into falsehood about Goons reporter
