Lewis hires new legal team to handle case
Milwaukee Ald. Chantia Lewis has bumped her two attorneys less than a week after she was charged by prosecutors with five criminal counts.
Sources said that Lewis has dropped attorneys Emil Ovbiagele and Jason Luczak, who works for the firm of Gimbel, Reilly, Guerin & Brown in Milwaukee. Luczak has said he was hired by Lewis in February, when she learned she was under investigation.
The two attorneys are being replaced with lawyers Michael Maistelman and Michael Chernin. Maistelman specializes in election law, and Chernin is a criminal defense attorney.
One or both attorneys have previously represented a number of Milwaukee politicians who were under criminal investigation or charged with crimes. Those include former Milwaukee County Register of Deeds John La Fave, Milwaukee Ald. Ashanti Hamilton, former Milwaukee County Supervisor Peggy West and Marvin Pratt, Milwaukee’s one-time acting mayor.
“We look forward to our day in court,” Maistelman said when asked about Lewis’ case. “We have no other comment.”
Lewis, 41, is facing five criminal charges, including four felonies, for taking more than $20,000 in campaign funds and false travel reimbursements from the city.
The criminal complaint said Lewis used campaign funds to attend a Florida worship conference, pay tuition for classes at Agape Love Bible College and go on family trips to Georgia and the Wisconsin Dells. She also allegedly spent campaign funds on basic personal expenses, such as car and credit card bills, vehicle repairs and rent on a Milwaukee apartment, according to the complaint.
In addition, the complaint said Lewis made more than 20 inappropriate ATM cash withdrawals totaling $5,590.50 from her campaign fund between 2016 and 2020.
In all, the 43-page complaint, filed by Milwaukee County prosecutors, stated
Lewis “defrauded the City of Milwaukee and her campaign, collectively, of at least $21,666.70.”
The embezzlement charge, the most serious one filed against Lewis, carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine.
Lewis, a Democrat, makes a base salary of $73,222 a year as a Common Council member. She is also one of nearly a dozen Democratic candidates for the U.S. Senate. They are running for the seat held by U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, a Republican who has not said if he will run for a third term.