Kelly Rindfleisch pleads not guilty during arraignment

MILWAUKEE -- Kelly Rindfleisch, one of the people linked to an on-going John Doe investigation pleaded not guilty during her arraignment Tuesday morning. Rindfleisch's attorney asked the judge to move the venue to Colombia County, where she lives.

"The statute provides an opportunity to do that.  It's a new statute and I believe that my client's interests will be better protected in her home county," Rindfleisch's attorney, Frank Gimbel said.

43-year-old Rindfleisch is accused of campaigning while working on the tax payers’ dime and faces four felony misconduct charges in public office. 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 Go’vernor” 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.

During Rindfleisch's first court appearance last month, a judge released her on $1,000 bond.  During that appearance, Gimbel gave two reasons why the case should be tossed. “In the criminal complaint, there is reference to immunized testimony that my client gave in a 2002 investigation in Dane County where she received immunity,” 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 also asked the case be moved out of Milwaukee County since Rindfleisch does not live where the charges are filed.  He believes charges should come from her home county of Columbia.  That motion was requested at the hearing Tuesday.

The court will make that decision March 30 at 1:30 p.m.