An expansive “John Doe” corruption investigation targeting employees and former employees of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) has led to its first arrests today, nabbing three people, including two former aides to Walker. The investigation centers around Milwaukee County workers during Walker’s tenure there as executive, and has previously involved an FBI raid on the home of a fourth person, one of Walker’s top aides.
Today, police arrested former county employees Kevin Kavanaugh, who was appointed by Walker, and Tim Russell, who served on Walker’s gubernatorial campaign. The AP reports:
Former county housing director Tim Russell, 48, was charged with two felony and one misdemeanor embezzlement charges, according to the criminal complaint from the Milwaukee County district attorney’s office.
Kevin Kavanaugh, Walker’s appointee to the Milwaukee County Veteran Service Commission, was charged with one felony embezzlement charge of taking more than $10,000 from a business and four felony counts of fraudulent writings by a corporate officer.
Russell and Kavanaugh each face up to 10 years in prison if convicted of the most serious felony embezzlement charge.
A third person, who worked for six months for the state Department of Public Instruction, was charged with two counts of felony child enticement in a case the county prosecutor said was discovered while investigating the others.
Walker has been charged with no wrongdoing and there’s no evidence suggesting that he has personally been a target of the secret probe, now a year and half old.
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