Former Milwaukee City Attorney Tearman Spencer has been sentenced to 18 months in confinement following his conviction on a felony charge of misconduct in public office. The penalty was delivered by Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Jorge R. Fragoso, bringing a close to the sentencing phase of a criminal prosecution that scrutinized the former municipal official's use of public resources for personal interests.
In addition to the 18-month term of incarceration, Judge Fragoso ordered the 69-year-old Spencer to pay a $7,000 fine, complete 100 hours of community service, and participate in a cognitive thinking class. Spencer is designated to serve his sentence at the Milwaukee County Community Reintegration Center situated in Franklin.
The sentencing drew a visible physical reaction from the former top city lawyer. Inside the courtroom on Sept. 10, Spencer lowered his shoulders slightly and pinched the bridge of his nose as Judge Fragoso announced the punitive terms. Spencer subsequently exited the courtroom alongside his defense attorney, William Sulton, with the precise date and time for him to report to the Franklin detention facility left pending.
The court's decision follows a trial that concluded on July 31, when a Milwaukee County jury found Spencer guilty of felony misconduct in public office. The four-day trial yielded a split verdict, with the jury finding Spencer guilty of the primary felony offense while simultaneously acquitting him of a separate misdemeanor charge of obstructing an officer.
Under Wisconsin law, the felony misconduct conviction exposed Spencer to statutory penalties of up to two years behind bars, as well as up to 18 months of extended supervision and a fine reaching as high as $10,000.
Throughout the proceedings, state prosecutors argued that Spencer, who took office after winning election as Milwaukee City Attorney in April 2020, repeatedly misused the powers of his municipal department for personal financial advantage. Specifically, the prosecution demonstrated that Spencer attempted to intimidate staff members from the Department of Neighborhood Services who were attempting to inspect a building he previously owned.
Evidence presented during the four-day July trial showed that Spencer instructed subordinate legal personnel within the city attorney's office to compose a specialized legal memorandum. That document was used to halt routine municipal property inspections on a structure where Spencer stored his personal vehicles, enabling him to avoid thousands of dollars in required repairs and associated administrative fees.
Assistant Attorney General Nicolas Heitman, who recommended that Spencer receive an initial sentence ranging between six and nine months of incarceration, emphasized to the court that Spencer had fundamentally breached the public trust placed in an elected leader. Heitman argued during the hearing that the former city attorney had acted to enrich himself while showing no remorse for his actions.
Heitman further asserted that Spencer's behavior during his tenure reflected more than an isolated error in judgment. The prosecutor told the court that the circumstances surrounding the building dispute indicated a wider pattern of conduct rather than a single, disconnected event.
The criminal conviction and subsequent sentencing represent a major chapter in Spencer’s political and legal difficulties. Spencer’s time leading the city’s legal department came to an end in 2024, when voters unseated him in his reelection bid in favor of the current Milwaukee City Attorney, Evan Goyke.
Despite the conclusion of the misconduct trial, Spencer continues to navigate significant legal peril. The former official is facing four additional felony charges stemming from a separate criminal case brought against him in October 2025 involving alleged real estate improprieties.
In that ongoing matter, prosecutors state that Spencer conspired with a business partner, real estate agent Kennard Wragg, to acquire a Milwaukee residential property through illicit means with the objective of flipping the parcel for a substantial profit. Court documents indicate that Wragg allegedly persuaded an heir to bypass probate court and sell the family estate's property for $8,000, an amount far below its actual valuation.
That second criminal proceeding has been transferred out of Milwaukee and will be handled in Waukesha County. A hearing regarding those four felony charges is scheduled to take place on Sept. 11.
The ordered 18-month sentence and the pending real estate case conclude a rapid descent for Milwaukee's former chief legal officer, emphasizing the stringent legal boundaries and heightened accountability governing public officials who oversee municipal departments.
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