The Wisconsin Court of Appeals released more than 28,000 pages of documents relating to the John Doe investigation Wednesday, revealing evidence used to convict a former Milwaukee County employee in 2010 of campaigning on public time.
Press representatives waited in line at the Appeals Court office Wednesday morning for digital copies of affidavits, search warrants, hearing transcripts, court orders and emails used in the investigation, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. Investigators obtained the emails from the accounts of Kelly Rindfleisch, the former Deputy Chief of Staff of then-County Executive Scott Walker.
Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm began the probe in 2010 to address concerns that Walker’s Milwaukee County Staff conducted campaign work on public time for Walker and Lt. Gov. candidate Brett Davis.
Investigators have since accused Rindfleisch of four felony counts of misconduct in public office based on evidence released with the documents. Circuit Court Judge David Hansher sentenced Rindfleisch to six months in jail and three years probation.
The documents also revealed a hearing held the day before Walker’s 2010 election in which a judge granted prosecutors’ request to expand the investigation to include four additional aides of Walker, including Rindfleisch. Rindfleisch was the only additional target to be charged and has filed to appeal her conviction.
Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen and the Department of Justice requested the courts release these documents to the public last October over the objection of Rindfleisch, who voiced privacy concerns.
