Former Walker aide Kelly Rindfleisch pleads guilty to felony misconduct

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Kelly Rindfleisch, a top aide to Governor Scott Walker when he was the Milwaukee County executive, will be sentenced Nov. 19.

That’s after she pleaded guilty Thursday afternoon, Oct. 11, to a single felony charge of misconduct in public office.

Rindfleisch wanted to plead no contest, but Circuit Judge David Hansher wouldn’t let her. He said Rindfleisch should either declare herself guilty or not guilty, and she quickly pled guilty.

Prosecutors agreed to recommend jail time with possible work-release privileges. Rindfleisch would not be fined as part of the plea deal she made.

But Judge Hansher can still fine her up to $10,000 and sentence her to three and a half years in prison.

The plea deal averted a trial that was scheduled to begin Monday, and it also got Walker out of testifying after he was subpoenaed to do so.

Rindfleisch was one of five people charged as part of an ongoing John Doe investigation into Walker’s former aides and associates in Milwaukee County. She admitted doing Republican campaign work during the hours she was supposed to be working for the head of Milwaukee County’s government.

Rindfleisch was the second person to win a plea bargain in the John Doe cases. Three of her four felony misconduct charges were dropped.

Prosecutor says case wasn’t about Walker

Prosecutor Bruce Landgraf won’t say whether Walker’s possible testimony was a factor in settling Kelly Rindfleisch’s felony misconduct case before a trial could begin on Monday. But Landgraf said: “This case was never about Governor Scott Walker. It was always about Kelly Rindfleisch.”

As part of her plea agreement, she will have to help prosecutors in their ongoing John Doe investigation. Landgraf says Rindfleisch might be called as a witness against former Walker official Tim Russell, who’s charged with embezzling $21,000 from a county program that recognizes veterans. That trial is due to begin Dec. 3.

Walker is on the list of witnesses for that trial as well. It’s not certain whether he’ll be subpoenaed.

Tags: crime and courts, news, wisconsin