GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – Ahead of Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt’s initial court appearance Wednesday for alleged campaign finance violations, we’re learning more details about what investigators found out.
WTAQ has obtained the Brown County Sheriff’s Department investigative report, which detailed interviews with two dozen witnesses interviewed as part of the probe.
They included former treasurers for the “Friends of Jim Schmitt” campaign committee, donors to that committee and Schmitt family members.
One donor and his wife, during an interview with investigators, admitted that while they made, “personal contributions to Schmitt, they came from the business account.” They also spoke about a personal checking account used to, “funnel” contribution checks through the office with the donor’s brother.
Investigators learned that the brothers would list several family members as making donations in order to give more than the maximum allowable by individual. Contributions were also, “made spur of the moment and usually were a result of a solicitation from Schmitt.”
Another donor interviewed was asked by investigators about his son being a contributor back in 2011. At issue, was the ink of the word “JR” on the contributions form. When asked, the donor confirmed there was no person with that name and that he had, “no idea how or why the donation was reported,” in that name.
During an interview with another donor, it was learned that her father would handle making political contributions, “by instructing the controller to issue checks based on requests.” The year before, she received a call from that controller relaying a call from Schmitt’s office saying, “her father donated too much to the campaign.” She agreed to donate, but that was the last she heard about it before the investigation.
On inspection of exhibits given to the donor, she was listed as retired and had to verify, “She is not retired and she had no idea why that was listed.” She also confirmed that she, “did not donate $1,000 to Friends of Jim Schmitt nor did she give anyone $1,000 to make that contribution.”
The report contains a typed letter dated June 16, 2014, on letterhead titled “Jim Schmitt Mayor” which includes a paragraph stating, “I hope you can help me again. The maximum donation I can receive from a couple per term is $2,000. I would appreciate any help you could offer for my April 2015 election. I need your help now. Our records show the maximum amount you can donate is $1,200, but any amount is appreciated. Once I achieve my targeted goal I will officially announce my candidacy.”
Under state law, contributions to individual candidates for local office are limited to a dollar amount equal to 1 one percent of the municipality’s population. In Green Bay, the legal limit for individual contributions is about $1,040.
Former campaign committee staff members and others close to Schmitt were also interviewed, and a consistent theme was they were unaware of who was keeping donation records, who was filing them with the state or what state law allowed.
One former treasurer, who described himself as a “nominal treasurer”, explained to investigators that he, “didn’t complete any accounting or file any of the campaign finance reports; he never participated in recordkeeping.”
Even after this ex-treasurer resigned from the committee, his name kept being used by Schmitt in advertisements and billboards. After word got out about Schmitt’s issues with his campaign finance reports in early 2015, Schmitt called him and reportedly advised, “That it was politically motivated and there were no issues.”
During an interview with another former campaign treasurer, investigators questioned about the role they played during Schmitt’s re-election in 2015. According to notes from the interview they, “realized they weren’t the treasurer during our conversation. They knew two others were treasurers but they never were. They completed that form after a fundraiser just because they were entering checks. They weren’t aware of being documented as the treasurer between 2012 and 2014.”
Asked whether this person ever read or consulted with manuals put out by the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, like “Campaign Finance Overview”, they replied, “I wish I would have.” They didn’t know if anyone else on the campaign committee had ever reviewed any of the manuals. Consultation with the GAB to determine how to complete those forms also never happened.
This person was subsequently asked if during the last election cycle what the campaign finance limit was, they said they didn’t know. They were not aware that, based upon Green Bay’s population, it was $1,040. All this was during the time they were in the role of treasurer.
However, this former treasurer worked with Schmitt on paperwork for filing his amended campaign finance reports.
Another former campaign committee treasurer told investigators that handwriting on a “GAB-1” form was not his. He said that in 2014, Schmitt, “stopped by his house to obtain his signature on the form but he didn’t see Schmitt prepare the form. The date on the form was accurate and he had no involvement with the campaign prior to that date (12/21/14). After that date, he did the same for the campaign committee that he did before that date; nothing. He didn’t assist in fundraising and he had no involvement in completing campaign finance reports; he was a nominal treasurer.”
That former treasurer later told investigators that after the media reports surfaced in early 2015, he called Schmitt. Schmitt advised him that, “some people were just trying to pull some political grandstanding. Schmitt reportedly told him that there may have been some mistakes made but they were in good faith, perhaps by interns or young people and that he may have to go back and amend those reports but he had done nothing wrong.”
A person close to Schmitt during an interview confirmed that a fundraising event held in 2014 had the wrong treasurer’s name listed on the flyer. When asked about it, the person told investigators that they, “didn’t have insight as to why one would have been listed as treasurer when he hadn’t held that position for over 3 years. They weren’t sure that the other had name recognition in Green Bay but knew that the former certainly did.”
Investigators also interviewed family members of Schmitt, one of whom explained that he, “doesn’t do anything with Jim’s campaign and that they keep their careers pretty separate. I asked him if he would remember giving any contributions to Jim Schmitt in 2013 and he stated he would say no, he didn’t give to Jim’s campaign.”
Two contributions listed on the document “Schedule 1-A, Receipts” show him giving $25 each five days apart. He said he remembered giving a donation to Schmitt, “for a CP telethon but didn’t recall any other donation.” The relative insisted that he, “would support him (Jim) in any way he could but not with money.”
A former organizer for a campaign fundraiser said they were paid $100 to work for about 2 weeks in 2015. Their name was listed as completing a campaign finance form. Asked about whose writing it was on the form, the organizer replied in an email, “I reviewed the document and I did not fill those forms out, they aren’t my handwriting.”
Last month, the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s office and Schmitt emerged with a plea deal following what was a 20-month investigation. According to the Milwaukee County DA’s office, this Brown County Sheriff’s Department investigative report was the basis of the probe.
Schmitt is charged with 3 misdemeanor counts: attempted false statements to an election official, attempted accepting campaign contribution funds not belonging to reported contributor and attempted accepting campaign contribution in excess of limits.
“The charges are representative of violations discovered in the course of the investigation,” said a statement issued by the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office. “A plea agreement has been reached between Mr. Landgraf and Mr. Schmitt’s attorney, Patrick Knight. Mr. Schmitt has indicated an intent to plead guilty to the three criminal charges.”
“I want all of you to know that I have made mistakes in the handling of campaign finances,” Schmitt wrote in a news release. “While I may disagree with some of his conclusions, I do not dispute his (Landgraf) factual findings nor his belief that all responsibility for accuracy and compliance rests with me.”
Schmitt has not spoken publicly about the case since the plea agreement was announced. He’s not going to be in Brown County Circuit Court for his initial appearance Wednesday.
According to the plea deal, prosecutors will not recommend any jail or probation time. Schmitt also agreed to disband his campaign committee. He will then have to create a new campaign committee. In addition, more than $26,000 from Schmitt’s campaign fund has been paid to the state School Fund.
