Former Milwaukee City Attorney Tearman Spencer has been sentenced to serve 18 months in prison and ordered to pay a $7,000 fine after being convicted of felony misconduct in public office. The sentencing marks a significant legal downfall for the former municipal official, who was found guilty of utilizing his public office for personal benefit and improperly intervening in city administrative operations.
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Jorge R. Fragoso handed down the decision during a court proceeding on Sept. 10. Upon hearing the ruling, the 69-year-old Spencer visibly reacted to the judgment, letting his shoulders drop slightly and pinching the bridge of his nose as the reality of his impending custody was established on the record.
In addition to the period of incarceration and monetary penalty, Judge Fragoso ordered Spencer to complete 100 hours of community service and successfully complete a cognitive thinking class. The sentence aims to address both the breach of public trust and the behavioral decision-making that led to Spencer's criminal conviction.
Under the terms of the judicial order, Spencer will serve his custodial term at the Milwaukee County Community Reintegration Center situated in Franklin. An exact reporting date for when Spencer must surrender himself to the Franklin correctional facility was not immediately made public following the hearing, after which he exited the courtroom alongside his defense counsel, William Sulton.
The formal sentencing concludes the trial phase that culminated on July 31, when a Milwaukee County jury delivered its verdict after four days of testimony and evidence. Jurors found Spencer guilty of felony misconduct in public office while simultaneously acquitting him of a separate misdemeanor charge of obstructing an officer.
Under Wisconsin law, the felony charge exposed the former city attorney to a potential maximum statutory penalty of up to two years behind bars, accompanied by an additional 18 months of extended supervision and a fine reaching up to $10,000. While the final sentence fell below the absolute statutory maximum, it exceeded the baseline recommendations submitted by the prosecution.
The core of the criminal prosecution centered on actions Spencer took following his April 2020 election as Milwaukee's top municipal lawyer. State prosecutors argued successfully that Spencer abused the authority of his office to advance his own financial interests and intimidate city employees within the Department of Neighborhood Services who were actively attempting to perform their official duties.
Evidence introduced during the four-day July trial detailed how Spencer directed subordinates within the city attorney's office to compose an official legal memorandum. This document was engineered to halt pending municipal property inspections on a building he previously owned, effectively shielding him from regulatory oversight.
By intervening in the administrative inspection process through official channels, Spencer sought to circumvent thousands of dollars in city fees, code violations, and mandatory structural repairs. The property in question was utilized by Spencer to store his collection of personal motor vehicles, highlighting the direct personal utility behind the official intervention.
During the sentencing phase, the state took a firm stance regarding the implications of Spencer's governance and breach of ethics. Assistant Attorney General Nicolas Heitman recommended that the court impose a jail term ranging between six and nine months, emphasizing that Spencer fundamentally violated the public trust placed in an elected leader while exhibiting no remorse for his conduct.
Heitman asserted to the court that the defendant's actions could not be excused as an isolated lapse in judgment, remarking that the misconduct was not a one-off scenario for Spencer and had manifested into a concerning pattern of official behavior designed to secure self-serving outcomes at the expense of city administration.
Spencer's criminal conviction and sentencing follow a turbulent tenure in public office that ultimately led to his removal by voters. In the municipal election of 2024, Spencer was defeated in his re-election campaign by Evan Goyke, who currently serves as Milwaukee City Attorney.
Despite the conclusion of this trial, Spencer continues to face severe ongoing legal challenges stemming from other investigative findings. In October 2025, prosecutors brought four additional felony charges against the former official in an entirely separate property-related case.
In that pending prosecution, Spencer is accused of collaborating with real estate agent Kennard Wragg in an unlawful scheme to improperly acquire a residential property in Milwaukee. According to charging documents, Wragg convinced an individual to bypass the standard probate court process and sell a family estate property to them for $8,000, an amount drastically below the real estate's actual market valuation, with the intent to resell it for substantial financial gain.
The separate felony property case was subsequently transferred out of Milwaukee County to be adjudicated in Waukesha County. A court hearing in those ongoing criminal proceedings is scheduled to take place on Sept. 11, ensuring Spencer's legal difficulties will continue immediately following his sentencing.
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