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Kelly Rindfleisch waives her preliminary hearing

By Angelica Duria
Published  March 8, 2012 9:50pm CST
FOX 6 Now Milwaukee



MILWAUKEE -- Kelly Rindfleisch, one of the people linked to an on-going John Doe investigation, waived her right to a preliminary hearing Thursday morning. Rindfleisch is bound over for trial and is scheduled to enter a plea during her arraignment March 20.

Rindfleisch, 43, is accused of campaigning while working on the tax payers' dime and faces four felony misconduct charges. She was Gov. Scott Walker‘s Deputy Chief of Staff when he was the Milwaukee County Executive.

Rindfleisch is accused of working on the 2010 “Brett Davis campaign for Lieutenant Governor” while on the county’s clock. Prosecutors say she sent out hundreds of e-mails - as many as 74 a day, to campaign workers from a secret wireless network she had hidden in her office.

Last month, Rindfleisch made her first court appearance where a judge released her on $1,000 bond.  During that appearance, Rindfleisch’s lawyer gave two reasons why the case should be tossed.

“In the criminal complaint there is reference to immunized testimony that my client gave in 2002 investigation in Dane County where she received immunity,” attorney Frank Gimbel said.

A decade ago, Rindfleisch gave testimony for an almost identical scandal at the State Capitol. She was granted immunity. Gimbel said some of that testimony is being used against her now.

Gimbel is also asking the case be thrown out because Rindfleisch doesn’t live in Milwaukee County. He believes charges should come from her home county of Columbia.

During her preliminary hearing Thursday, Gimbel had no comment other than saying waiving the preliminary hearing was a "strategic decision and that they were not there to have a dress rehearsal in the case."

Rindfleisch is one of four former Milwaukee County employees working under Governor Scott Walker now charged in court.  Rindfleisch's former coworker, Darlene Wink, pleaded guilty last month for similar accusations.

Governor Walker has said he had no knowledge of illegal activity going on in his office when he was County Executive.