Three charged in John Doe investigation of Walker aides (x-post from GD)

[Viking12]

Three individuals - including a former top aide to Gov. Scott Walker - were charged Thursday with felonies as part of the ongoing John Doe investigation into Walker staffers.

Tim Russell, a longtime Walker campaign and county staffer, was charged with two felonies and one misdemeanor count of embezzlement. One source said the charges are tied to Operation Freedom, an annual military appreciation day held at the zoo.

In 2010, Walker's county administration had asked prosecutors to investigate what had happened to $11,000 raised in 2007 for the event.

Russell's attorney, Michael Maistelman, could not be immediately reached for comment.

Also charged Thursday was Brian Pierick, Russell's longtime partner and a staffer at the state Department of Public Instruction, and Kevin Kavanaugh, Walker's appointee to the Milwaukee County Veteran Service Commission.

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/136737438.html

[AllyCat]

1. Well, this gets more interesting.

Of course, it is always the underlings and never the king.

[PeaceNikki]

2. This is big.

[Bushfire]

3. What do people know about Tim Russell and Brian Pierick?

"longtime partner" "using some of those dollars to go on Hawaiian and Caribbean vacations with his domestic partner."

snip

"Pierick, 48, was charged with two felony counts for child enticement. He is an office operations assistant for education for homeless youth at DPI dealing with education for homeless children and youth, according to the agency's website.

Patrick Gasper, a spokesman for the Department of Public Instruction, said Pierick was being let go from his job Thursday at the decision of agency human resources and state schools superintendent Tony Evers.

Pierick was essentially a secretary and made $13.96 an hour, which would work out to about $29,000 a year. He started in October 2011 at the civil service job and was still in his six-month probationary period and so could be fired for any reason, Gasper said."

This gets more, and more interesting. Time for some popcorn.

[mojowork_n]

4. Yuck.

Wonder if any of that is connected to the Real Estate guy,
whoever it was, that was named in the investigation earlier.

Head of the State something-or-other Realtor's Ass'o'n,
also with ties to Walker. Which had something to do with
some office space? (Can't remember.)

[Sabien]

6. you're thinking of Andrew Jensen

past president of Commercial Association of Realtors Wisconsin.

He also had ties with the law firm tied up in the recent ethical complaints against Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman.

http://www.postcrescent.com/article/20111215/APC0101/112150461/AP-source-Wisconsin-Governor-Scott-Walker-donor-Andrew-Jensen-Jr-arrested-part-probe

Andrew Jenson, Stephen Biskupic, Jim Villa, Michael Gableman, Scott Walker, Tim Russell, Cindy Archer, Darlene Wink, Reince Priebus, etc.

things that make you go hmmm...

[Homer12]

5. It's obvious that they found this fraud after the intial investigations

Into use of taxpayer money to run Walkers campaign.

This is a side find, the Walker campaign crimes are yet to come.