Wisconsin Justice Department fires former prison chief, Ed Wall

MADISON — Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel says that he has fired the state's former prisons secretary after an investigation.

State Department of Justice staff notified former Corrections Secretary Ed Wall of his termination on Friday, Schimel said. Wall had been on paid leave as the administrator of DOJ's criminal investigations division.

Schimel said an investigation confirmed that Wall had written a letter to another state government official -- who Schimel did not name -- asking for public records to be destroyed.

"That has left me unable to have confidence in him as a law enforcement leader in my agency," Schimel said.

Wall resigned in February as Corrections secretary during an ongoing abuse scandal at Lincoln Hills youth prison in Wisconsin's Northwoods. The FBI is leading the criminal investigation of the abuse allegations.

The state's civil service law required the Justice Department to give Wall his old job as investigations administrator. Schimel's agency immediately placed Wall on paid leave because of a conflict of interest over the Lincoln Hills criminal investigation.

Wall's attorney, Dan Bach, said he was informed by Justice Department officials that Wall was to be fired Friday. Bach said it stemmed from a letter Wall sent one of Gov. Scott Walker's aides asking for help getting his job back.

DOJ released records last month showing Wall sent a letter to Walker's chief of staff's home asking him to "fix this mess."

Schimel said Friday that he expected the firing would be upheld if Wall decides to challenge it.