Major Walker contributor pleads to illegally funneling funds

[cali]

Railroad executive charged with campaign law violations

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By Daniel Bice of the Journal Sentinel

Updated: April 11, 2011 12:42 p.m.

A major donor to Gov. Scott Walker was charged Monday with funneling more than $60,000 in illegal campaign contributions through his railroad employees during the last election.

William Gardner, president and chief executive officer of Wisconsin & Southern Railroad Co., has agreed to plead guilty to two felony counts - one for exceeding the campaign contribution limits and a second for giving company and personal funds to others so they could make political donations. Individuals can give no more than $10,000 to gubernatorial candidates.

Under the deal, prosecutors are asking that Gardner be sentenced to two years' probation.

"Because he was cooperative and accepted responsibility at the outset - providing much of the evidence against himself - we are not recommending jail time," said Milwaukee County Assistant District Attorney Bruce Landgraf, who investigates election and campaign matters.

Although Milwaukee prosecutors handled the case, the charges were filed in Washington County, where Gardner lives. Each of the two felony counts carries a maximum penalty of 3½ years of combined prison time and extended supervision and a $10,000 fine.

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http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/119595644.html

[SidDithers]

1. K&R...

Does this do anything to Walker?

Looking forward to PeaceNikki's comments :)

Sid

[gratuitous]

2. Corrupt the election process, hey, no biggie

Gardner was cooperative and accepted responsibility. Isn't that enough? Let's quit lookin' backwards to the past, and look forward to the future. So what if Gardner might have affected the outcome of an election, and a fraud is currently sitting in the governor's mansion? What's done is done. Why do you hate Wisconsin, and by extension, America?

[WhiteTara]

12. +1000 n/t

[Rex]

3. Who says white collar crime doesn't pay!?

Hang the fuckers.

[Angry Dragon]

4. wealthy = no jail time

poor = life or death penalty

[midnight]

15. Two felonies=probation. We really do have a dual justice system that is becoming more transparent..

[undeterred]

5. Highly ironic, considering Walker's anti train stance...

:shrug:

[Viking12]

8. Anti-high speed passenger train. Not anti-train.

Did you see last week's news where Walker is now attempting to re-capture the high speed rail funds for improvements on existing rail systems? Which donor do you think he's paying back?

[undeterred]

9. train with union employees bad

train without union employees good

[dembotoz]

6. washington county????? They will probably name a park after him

[Critters2]

13. Yep. My guess is his lawyers negotiated changing the charging venue

to the place that's so red it keeps electing Glenn Grothman. Hence the probation.

[HereSince1628]

7. Two felony counts are good...but we need to net the Kochs.

Evil Bastards that they are they can afford a LOT of really perverse lawyers to craft legislation and to keep their fingerprints off of it.

[Time to Barf]

10. Override the maximum time - give this a-hole 25 to life now.

He needs to be sent to a permanent solitary, with minimal food or contact. Only contact is through a lawyer. Family? No.

I will accept this a-hole to serve maximum time consecutively with both felonies - 7 years in prison, and lifetime supervised probation, with daily officer cavity search, UA and blood draw.

[WinkyDink]

11. "two years' probation." That about says it all.

[PeaceNikki]

16. My friend on FB said:

"Whew, good thing he wasn't carrying a small quantity of drugs in a looked-down-upon neighborhood, or he'd be headed to jail!"

[shraby]

14. Sure smells of quid pro quo considering that Walker turned

down the high speed rail between Milwaukee and Madison yet is asking for federal funds for the Milwaukee/Chicago line.

[PeaceNikki]

17. kick