"...if you drive by my house, I'm going to kill your ass."
Posted on 05/29/2007 7:10:16 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
Ald. Michael McGee was arrested Monday by Milwaukee police in a case that is being jointly investigated by federal and state authorities, officials said Monday.
McGee is under investigation on potential public corruption charges, according to sources familiar with the probe, which has been placed under seal. Further details are expected to be announced today during a joint news conference by U.S. Attorney Steven Biskupic and Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm.
It was unclear late Monday where and under what circumstances McGee was arrested, but sources said the arrest was made earlier than planned because investigators suspected the potential for violence.
Police Department spokeswoman Anne E. Schwartz confirmed the arrest late Monday. He was still in custody Monday night.
"We arrested Alderman McGee and are referring all calls on the matter to the U.S. attorney's office," Schwartz said.
Michelle Jacobs, first assistant U.S. attorney, said Monday that she could not comment on the case but details would be forthcoming today.
Chisholm said he could not comment because the case is under seal.
FBI special agent Monica Shipley confirmed that the bureau's local office is involved in the investigation but said she could not comment further.
Milwaukee Common Council President Willie Hines said he learned of the arrest from police and knew nothing of the details.
"It is an unfortunate situation that he (McGee) faces, but his unfortunate incident will not interfere with the council's ability to do its job," Hines said.
McGee has long been a center of controversy.
Just last month, he defeated a recall, garnering 64% of the votes in an eight-person race. The two strongest opponents were former city development official Una Van Duvall and recall organizer ViAnna Jordan. According to campaign finance reports, McGee spent $10,185 on this race, with some of it going to workers paid to do "campaign field work."
At the request of the Milwaukee County district attorney's office, a secret John Doe investigation was launched in December to look into matters related to the recall effort. Assistant District Attorney Bruce Landgraf, assigned to the district attorney's white-collar crime unit, was placed in charge of the investigation. The Journal Sentinel has independently confirmed the existence of the John Doe but not the target of it.
At the time, McGee attorney Mike Maistelman alleged fraud on the part of recall organizers. Another possible focus may be on why Joan Hollingsworth, who initially was paid to assist recall organizers, later said she misled recall signers about the purpose of the petition.
The recall also prompted a Milwaukee County court commissioner to issue a restraining order against McGee after former Milwaukee School Board member Leon Todd, who was running Jordan's campaign, told the commissioner he feared for his life. McGee said during a radio broadcast that Todd should be "hung" for his "betrayal of the community," resulting in a flurry of calls cursing and threatening Todd.
At the time, another McGee attorney, Bill Baldon, said McGee was not urging violence but was simply engaging in political discourse.
McGee also caught authorities' attention in May 2006 when he petitioned to legally change his name to McGee, saying that his name at birth was really Michael I. Jackson. He later withdrew the petition, but by then the state Department of Transportation's fraud unit had launched an investigation. The department determined that the alderman had held driver's licenses in both names. His license with the Jackson name had been revoked in March 2000. When the state determined that McGee and Jackson were the same person in June 2006, the McGee license was revoked, as well.
Monday marked the third time McGee has been arrested in the past year and a half.
In May 2006, he was arrested on allegations of threatening to kill Kimley Rucker, a woman with whom he has since admitted having an extramarital affair. Rucker, who later gave birth to McGee's child, and her attorney claimed McGee threatened her in open court after a hearing on a domestic abuse restraining order, saying that "if you drive by my house, I'm going to kill your ass." Prosecutors considered charges of disorderly conduct and violation of a domestic-abuse injunction against McGee in connection with the alleged statement, but he was not charged.
The district attorney's office also investigated McGee on suspicion of perjury after the alderman testified under oath that he never had a "romantic" relationship with Rucker. He also testified that he never used an e-mail account his wife later said was his, and that he never sent e-mails to Rucker. No perjury charges were issued.
In November 2005, McGee was arrested outside a locked Blockbuster video store at 6102 W. North Ave., Wauwatosa, after shouting an obscenity at employees inside. Employees had called the police to report a suspicious car in the parking lot after hours. McGee contended he was roughed up during the arrest.
The arrest prompted a protest in which five other people were arrested. McGee pleaded no contest to a municipal charge of resisting and obstructing an officer and paid a forfeiture of $103.50. In return, the City of Wauwatosa dropped a second municipal charge of disorderly conduct.
"...if you drive by my house, I'm going to kill your ass."
“Corrupt Wisconsin ‘Rat Politicians” Ping!
Clearly, there is a conspiracy against him
LOL! Yep. We’re all just waiting for him to play the Race Card. ;)
I’m utterly shocked /s
I’ll bet that by the time I move back to Milwaukee this fall a. the case will have died out b. another McGee will hold the seat.
I dunno. This is his THIRD arrest within a year. Sometimes even the ‘Rats toss one of their own under the bus.
I escaped Milwaukee in 1970 and never looked back.
You always know it's a Democrat when the party affiliation isn't in the first paragraph.
Here in Cal, local politicians are not allowed to list party affiliations. It doesn't stop the media, of course, from describing a conservative with such descriptions as, "... who has ties to right wing organizations ..."
My wife told me about this earlier this morning and we both jumped with joy. Thank heavens his ole man is now out of the picture and he will be out of office no doubt. Good, riddance.
bump
There has been this constant process int he past 10-12 years of peeling away the veneer of “Wisconsin Good Government” to reveal that the place has as much corruption as anywhere. Just higher taxes. Good riddance to all that.
In Minneapolis now and I think that they are at the early stages of the decline that Milwaukee suffered...I’m banking on Milwaukee finally taking things over for itself in a good way again...pretty high risk bet I know :)
LOL!
Milwaukee HAS a lot of positives, but that liberal cancer is pretty hard to beat. ;)
Look at ANY major metro area governed by ‘Rats. They’re all on a downhill slide.
Even ‘The People’s Republik of Madistan’ (which used to boast being on every ‘Top Ten’ list of places to live) now has grave problems with gang activity, rapes on campus, a murder on State Street week before last, a few instances of “suicide by cop,” etc. and STILL they just go about their way, banning this and banning that, promoting more government interference in our lives, yet NEVER doing the things they’re elected to do:
Fill in the d@mn pot holes in the roads! Put more cops on the beat! Send the Firemen if my house is burning, or an EMT if I stroke out! Pick up the trash and quit making me separate and recycle every d@mn thing! Reduce our taxes, and stay OUT of our personal lives!
Nope. Never occurs to them to actually do the jobs they’re ELECTED to do; just leftist Kum-ba-ya drivel and endless “referendums” about cutting and running from Iraq (at the County level...like that MATTERS!) and whining about
a “Living Wage” or banning smoking in PRIVATELY OWNED BUSINESSES and how CF light bulbs will save Polar Bears on melting icebergs! I believe that their end goal truly is to continually provide LESS ‘real services’ for each tax dollar of ours that they spend! And that goes for BOTH sides of the aisle these days. Grrrrrrr!
*Pulls up suspenders, steps off soapbox.* :)
Thanks, for the ping.
That was nice headline to read tonight.
From what I hear, this guy is a real winner.
Funny thing, that “top ten” list. I’m from Peoria, IL, which a good many years ago was on the “top ten” list of desirable places to live. It’s not so hot, now. My mom said it started going downhill shortly after it made the list.
Nice to “see” you. How’s things? :)
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