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Two investigative firms have been chosen to gather evidence for a special House committee inquiry into allegations of misconduct by Utah Attorney General John Swallow.
An evaluation committee selected the New York-based Mintz Group and Salt Lake City-based Lindquist & Associates to provide investigative services. The Mintz Group is also working with Steve Clark, based in Eden, Utah.
"This gives us a strong team with both experience in complex investigations and local knowledge," committee chairman Jim Dunnigan, R-Taylorsville, said in a statement.
Jim Mintz, founder and president of the Mintz Group, was the lead investigator for a Connecticut House committee that gathered evidence that resulted in the indictment and resignation of Gov. John Rowland in 2004.
The Utah House committee has already hired Steven Reich, who was the counsel to the Connecticut inquiry, and a team from Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld to serve as special counsel to the Swallow probe.
Mintz has more than 30 years of experience in conducting private investigations.
"We expect this team will be thorough and professional," Dunnigan said. "We have absolute confidence that the committee will be able to put together the facts we've been tasked to pursue."
The Utah House committee, with five Republicans and four Democrats, has met once. Its next meeting is scheduled for Sept. 11.
Pamela Lindquist of Lindquist & Associates has done work for defense attorney Ron Yengich, who represents Jeremy Johnson, one of Swallow's accusers. But Joe Pyrah, chief deputy of the House, said that Lindquist has worked for numerous lawyers and has never worked on Johnson's case. The original chairman of the House committee, Rep. Lowry Snow, an attorney, was replaced by Dunnigan after it was revealed that Snow had represented Johnson and his close business associates.