Wisconsin Ex-DA Drops Pretense as Practicing Atty: Follows Complaint with Lawyer Regulation Office

Update: Disgraced former district attorney Ken Kratz resigned his suspended law license after a complaint by the editor of this website, Mal Contends, (State Bar of Wisconsin).
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Madison, Wisconsin — Calumet County District Attorney Ken Kratz (R) was chased into resignation and disgrace in 2010 following assault and sexual harassment allegations leveled against him by several women, (ABC News, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel).

In his defense, the sex offender Kratz claimed he is an addict and victim of a medically diagnosed  Narcissistic Personality Disorder that made Kratz uncontrollably arrogant — transforming him into a "dick," as termed by Kratz in 2016, (p. 13, Supreme Court of Wisconsin, Huffington Post).

The dick is back.

Following years of Kratz falsely purporting to be a practicing private attorney in Wisconsin, Kratz has now dropped this pretense after the intercession of the Wisconsin Office of Lawyer Regulation (OLR) last Summer.

Referee Jonathan Ziesner notified the author, Michael Leon, of a June 19, 2019 grievance against Kratz that Kratz "has made several changes in response to your grievance."

The grievance reads in part:

Kratz was fraudulently portraying himself as an active-status attorney with a license to practice in good standing. ...

Further, an examination of Mr. Kratz’ historical information maintained by the State Bar of Wisconsin and Office of Lawyer Regulation reveals that from 2014 to 2019, Mr. Kratz’ license to practice law in Wisconsin was suspended for discipline, and for administrative deficiencies, a status continuing today. [See attached exhibit.]

In falsely advertising his ability to practice law with a suspended license between 2014-2019, Mr. Kratz has committed a continuing act that reflects adversely on his honesty, trustworthiness and fitness as a Wisconsin  lawyer.

The grievance includes several exhibits that show Kratz purporting to be an attorney in his social media profiles including Facebook, Twitter, Reddit and Linked-In as late as June 2019.

Kratz used the false description to fraudulently promote himself to 1,000s of rightwing social media followers.

Kratz is infamous as the corrupt prosecutor of Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey convicted for the murder of Teresa Halbach, featured in the Emmy-winning Making a Murderer docu-series, (Netflix, Inc.).

Kratz engaged in a character assassination tour against Avery after Kratz' resignation that included Kratz writing a letter to Avery under the auspices of his disbanded law firm. In the 2015 letter, Kratz taunted Avery for legally seeking exoneration in post-conviction litigation.
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In other recent developments. Steven Avery's attorneys signaled they will file a massive brief in state appellate court on October 14, 2019 in closely watched post-conviction litigation.

The case is State v. Steven A. Avery, Appeal Number 2017AP002288.

Meanwhile, Kratz announced in social media that the publisher of his 2017 monograph on the Avery-Dassey case will release an updated paperback version this year. ---

Wisconsin's Manitowoc and Calumet counties continue as a haven for corrupt law enforcement that brings continuing condemnation from attorneys and other human rights advocates as among the worst in the country.

This cop was so confident framing people you can tell he’d been doing it to hundreds of innocent people. Right in front of his partner, who probably knew. Likewise, I believe Manitowoc’s brazen evidence planting against SA probably came after years of successful corruption. https://t.co/M6Rkq7f2Ra

— Jerome Buting (@JButing) September 20, 2019

Social Media Effort Focuses Press Attention on Wisconsin Dept of Justice Misconduct, Following DoJ Scandals Blacked-out

In Wisconsin, Cops Are the Criminals, and Most Corporate Press Is Cowed

Updated - Madison, Wisconsin — What does one do when crooks and liars conspire to convict, imprison and cover-up crimes against innocent citizens?

Alert the media.

Calling Wisconsin cops isn't going to help as law enforcement here resembles a disorganized, sprawling crime family, protected by the cult of the police.

The cult is everything. Innocent people: Frame them, assassinate their characters, imprison them. And never publicly criticize a fellow cop, no matter what.

Amelia McDonell-Parry's feature-length piece in Rolling Stone updates a story in Wisconsin.

Cops in multiple law enforcement jurisdictions framed an innocent man for a 1985 attempted murder and rape, (exonerated after 18 years in prison), were exposed, then framed the same man (and a 16-year-old Brendan Dassey) for the 2005 murder of Teresa Halbach, just as Steven Avery was deposing cops for a $36-million civil rights suit for his first wrongful conviction, and were exposed again.

Steven Avery has spent over half of his 56 years in prison, wrongfully convicted of twice, framed, and featured in Making a Murderer that has finally brought world-wide attention on the Wisconsin human rights problem.

Now, in 2019 the Wisconsin Dept of Justice has been caught in a new and dirtier cover-up.

Advocates last night staged a Twitter storm on social media, #WakeUpWisconsin, to draw attention to what the Wisconsin Dept of Justice is doing, and what most of the state press is not doing: Reporting on the spectacle of criminality committed by all manner of law enforcement.

Innocence advocates made the DoJ cover-up the number one story in the United Kingdom, (at right) and trended world-wide.

Some Wisconsin media outlets follow the story: WBAY-TV, WGBA-TV.

But most of the press here black-outs major developments, in accordance with the cult of law enforcement — the authorities, the state, the sovereign, the collection of ass-hats led by Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul (D), carrying on the cover-up tradition begun by Kaul's mother, the late Wisconsin Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager (D), (2002-2007), in a sick family tradition.

McDonell-Parry's piece in Rolling Stone updates this story as post-conviction litigation has taken a bizarre-even-for-Wisconsin twist: The DoJ is misleading the state appellate court and Avery's counsel, in an attempt to stop a circuit (County) court from examining why the state destroyed evidence, in violation of Wisconsin state statute and Avery's Constitutional rights.

Writes McDonell-Parry:

Attorney Kathleen Zellner has filed a new letter with the Wisconsin Court of Appeals on behalf of her client, Steven Avery, accusing the Attorney General’s Office of 'trying to deceive' her and the Court about the status of key forensic evidence in the Making a Murderer case. Zellner’s letter, submitted on February 13th, is actually her second letter to the court in as many days; both letters supplement a January 24th motion that accused prosecutors of violating state law and Avery’s constitutional rights by destroying evidence. Zellner tells Rolling Stone that she has since learned that a key piece of evidence — suspected human pelvic bone fragments, which could exonerate her client — may have been destroyed as well. And, she says, prosecutors are 'obstructing' her efforts to find out.

According to a newly discovered police report and updated evidence control ledgers, on September 20th, 2011, 'human bone' fragments recovered during the investigation were removed from the Calumet County Sheriff’s Department’s evidence control unit. They were transferred to a local funeral home, which then 'returned' the bones to the family of murder victim Teresa Halbach.

According to an affidavit from Avery’s former appellate attorney Suzanne Hagopian, the State never informed defense counsel of its intention to effectively 'destroy' key case evidence by giving it to the victim’s family. Wisconsin law requires law enforcement to preserve 'any biological material' and 'physical evidence' until the convicted defendant has been discharged from prison. Avery is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole, and the Wisconsin statute protects his right to retain evidence that 'may reasonably be used to incriminate or exculpate any person' in Halbach’s murder.

On Feb. 13, 2019, Mark Williams and Thomas J. Fallon, attorneys with the Wisconsin Dept of Justice, were caught red-handed continuing their pattern of lying and obstruction.

Red-handed as in DoJ co-counsel Williams attempted to phone DoJ Asst Attorney General Fallon on Feb. 13, and instead accidentally phoned Steven Avery's post-conviction attorney, Kathleen Zellner, and left a voicemail.

In Williams' voicemail message, Williams contradicted the DoJ's numerous assurances made since 2016 about the status of critical pelvic bones that Zellner wants to test with advanced DNA analyses.

Listen to the voicemail because it appears more deceitful and conniving than the transcription.

The voicemail is transcribed below:

Hi, Tom. This is Mark Williams. Um, I'll send you an email later today, but I don't think we should do anything or respond to her [Zellner] at all until tomorrow, uh, when we look into the bag and-and see exactly the pelvic bones are in there or not. Um, so I-I would not respond, uh, until we look into the bag, uh, tomorrow morning and then we can talk about it, uh, before we send a response. Thanks a lot. Bye.

The state has assured Counsel and the Court since 2016, that the state has possession of the pelvic bone, and now atty Williams is caught saying, he doesn't know.

There is speculation that all this is too much even for Wisconsin.

But noone really knows.

One thing is certain: #WakeUpWisconsin is keeping this story on social media, hell or high water.

Wisconsin Is a State of Men and Women Because the Rule of Law Is Perishing; Attorney General Josh Kaul Is Complicit and Insidious

The Wisconsin Department of Justice continues to betray
and destroy as the world watches the degradation in
post-conviction litigation against Steven Avery.
Attorney General Josh Kaul (D) is on point, in
defending the work of disgraced ex-DA, Ken Kratz,
and the criminality of Wisconsin law enforcement.

The Whole World Is Watching Wisconsin -

Post-conviction attorney, Kathleen Zellner, will be offering a live question-and-answer session on Twitter, Feb. 12 at Noon.

Update: In response to questions from our friends overseas: Targeting people is in itself tyrannical.

Wisconsin does not have a state Grand Jury system. But when someone is transformed from a person of interest to a "target" in a probe or a grand jury (in other states) or a federal investigation, formal procedures and notifications kick in to protect the soon-to-be-accused.

Not so in the Avery case. Law enforcement targeted Steven Avery and then set about to plant evidence, manipulate and manufacture evidence, even destroying exculpatory evidence.

This is tyrannical and despotic — the opposite of what American criminal justice is supposed to be. And this is what Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul is defending, in an unethical fashion to boot.
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Madison, Wisconsin — "Despotism is a plan alone, without law and without rule, leading all its will and caprices," intoned the satirist, poet, and social contract theorist, Montesquieu. "To become truly great, one has to stand with people, not above them."

In opposing post-conviction litigation against the wrongful convicted Steven Avery, (Making Murderer), Wisconsin Attorney Josh Kaul (D) is offering polemics, pointless antagonism and defense of apparent criminality and willful violation of constitutional rights and state law committed by Wisconsin law enforcement. Avery's rights, no matter the misconduct of law enforcement, are to be opposed, believes Kaul.

Kaul is delaying the inevitable, defending a miscarriage of justice and doing dishonor to Wisconsin.

I have lived in Wisconsin all my life, and I do not see the bottom, though Josh Kaul is dredging the filth of Wisconsin as he blocks, obscures and delays, motivated from a pathology only Kaul can truly explain.

Post-conviction attorney, Kathleen Zellner, will be offering a question-and-answer session on Twitter, Feb. 12 at Noon.

The event follows a new filing in Avery's case before the Wisconsin Court of Appeals, District Two.

And it follows new evidence demonstrating outright criminality, banditry, by multiple law enforcement jurisdictions.

AVERY: We are READY to do a Twitter Q & A tomorrow (02/12) at NOON re the missing MCGP bones. Have your questions ready. #AskZellner #WorkwithZellner #MakingAMurderer @Newsweek @guardian @BBCWorld @TheTelegraph__ @digitalspy @TheSun

— Kathleen Zellner (@ZellnerLaw) February 11, 2019

Wisconsin media and citizens the world-over will tune in.

Yet, as each new piece of evidence pried from east-central Wisconsin law enforcement reveals duplicity and willful targeting of an innocent man, innocence advocates are already speculating what remedies exist to meet the challenge of systemic criminality.

We need a special prosecutor appointed, and independent and transparent investigation opened, and a complete audit of all evidence. @WisDOJ and @GovEvers quit tacitly supporting officials who aided and abetted murderer of Teresa Halbach!!! https://t.co/JcCkcZU7s6

— Lloyd R Bass II (@lloydbassII) February 12, 2019

#WakeUpWisconsin #WorkWithKZ https://t.co/2UPd9hQoCn

— Sara Dahlke (@sara2oz1019) February 11, 2019

To paraphrase Archibald Cox: Whether we shall continue to be a state of laws is now for ultimately the Wisconsin people to decide.

Making a Murderer — Wisconsin Sheriff's Deputy Implicated by New FOIA Documents

Manitowoc County Sheriff Dept Lt., Andrew Colborn, (Ret),
was implicated in misconduct in the second Steven Avery
frame-up, becoming a major disgraced public figure, as
documented in Making a Murderer, and
Wrecking Crew, Demolishing The Case Against Steven Avery,
(Ferak).

Update: Steven Avery's post-conviction attorney posts new filing Feb. 11 with Wisconsin Court of Appeals, Dist Two.
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Madison, Wisconsin — Among the cast of rogues in the Making a Murderer docuseries is Manitowoc County Deputy Sheriff Andrew Colborn (ret).

Much of Colborn's public conduct as a public official was criticized at the public 2007 trial of Steven Avery.

But Colborn appears frightened.

So frightened that Colborn filed a defamation suit against Netflix and the creators of Making a Murderer earlier this year. Most legal observers believe that this opens Colborn up to extensive sworn examination and scrutiny.

The contents of some 300 documents obtained in a new Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) revealed the weekend of Feb. 8 by supporters of wrongfully convicted Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey, appear to implicate Wisconsin law enforcement in misconduct.

The documents are housed online at Google Docs.

The documents are entitled CASO Ledgers for Calumet County Sheriff's Office (CASO).

One of the FOIA documents show Colborn's time-sheet is contradicted by his sworn testimony at the 2007 trial.

This supports a theory advanced at trial that Colborn came upon the murder victim's missing car and did not report the find.

The car later turned up mysteriously at Avery's property in plain view, a development that helped to convict Avery.

Writes one innocence advocate:

Colborn was most likely on duty on 11/4/2005 when [passer-by] Rahmlow told him about the RAV 4 in Mishicot. We asked MTSO [Manitowoc County Sheriff Dept] for clarification, and they provided time cards that show Colborn was off the 4th-6th. Weird, bc [because] he testified to working 5th and 6th. Hmmmmm.

Colborn was most likely on duty on 11/4/2005 when Rahmlow told him about the RAV 4 in Mishicot.

We asked MTSO for clarification, and they provided time cards that show Colborn was off the 4th-6th. Weird, bc he testified to working 5th and 6th. Hmmmmm.#MakingAMurderer pic.twitter.com/JmWdrtXUdw

— AC (@Rookie1082) February 11, 2019

Revelations such as the above lead advocates to speculate that the 2007 trial may be vacated soon, a development hat may lead to Avery's (and by logic Brendan Dassey's) exoneration.

Advocates for Wrongfully Convicted in Making a Murderer Get FOIA Docs — Law Enforcement Looks Guilty

Update II: Another tweet appears to indicate the Calumet County Sheriff's Office (CASO) changed evidence tags in an attempt to implicate Steven Avery.

If the interpretation of innocence advocates is correct, then Wisconsin law enforcement has been caught red-handed planting evidence.

That's EXACTLY what they did. https://t.co/v9e1IV9Rrb

— John Jackson (@Jacks1961) February 9, 2019

Update - Advocates demand statement from Gov Tony Evers (D) and Attorney General Josh Kaul (D).

Reads one Tweet:

"You are in power? You have JUSTICE SYSTEM and LE [law enforcement] not fit for purpose. Any other state or country with that label would be ashamed and the CEO would be fired and thrown in jail for the state yours is in."

@WisDOJ @GovEvers You are in power? You have JUSTICE SYSTEM & LE not fit for purpose. Any other state or country with that label would be ashamed & the CEO would be fired and thrown in jail for the state yours is in. #Corruption MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT #MakingAMurderer @ZellnerLaw

— Iain Tivey (@40kin3weeks) February 10, 2019

Madison, Wisconsin—Advocates for two wrongfully convicted men are elated and outraged about the contents of some 300 documents obtained in a new Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.

Wisconsin law enforcement appears to implicated in obstruction of justice.

Several innocence advocates speculate the information will provide a new basis for legal motions seeking a hearing to vacate the 2007 conviction of Steven Avery and Brendan Dassay, featured in the Making a Murderer documentaries, Netflix.

The documents are housed online at Google Docs.

The documents are entitled CASO Ledgers for Calumet County Sheriff's Office (CASO).

Advocates are sorting through the documents now, and are responding to questions asking for explanations:

New Freedom of Information request of 300 pages. Evidence of switching tags of blood stain of unknown male in Avery's trailer with alleged blood found in quarry. Blood of unknown male in Avery's trailer supports theory that killer went there to get blood to plant in Rav.

— Lloyd R Bass II (@lloydbassII) February 9, 2019

We have obtained the CASO Evidence/Property Custody Documents for all ledgers and evidence tags listed in this report:... https://t.co/KXiMw5RFAd

— Steven Avery Project (@BraverySAP) February 9, 2019

They KNOWINGLY & DELIBERATELY sat back on their smug arrogant asses while they patted themselves on the shoulder for FRAMING a citizen FOR THE SECOND TIME! Malicious fiends!!!

— Debra Sullivan (@Deboryn123) February 9, 2019

These Dirty Little Bastards. Would you look at that, manipulating item numbers. Obviously they were manipulating documents, and evidence. So if blood was found to be in the trailer, you can almost bet you're ass it was planted in the Rav4. We've been given nothing but lies.

— OB1.Benobie (@BenBarr80) February 9, 2019

Just the tampering of evidence or cross mixing tag numbers evidence numbers whatever you’d like to say is grounds for https://t.co/OtBUdhtMrM trial
If that evidence was struck from the trial would it help to prove his innocence. https://t.co/csXmtbh8RO

— Littlegirl (@littlegirl108) February 9, 2019

I think this document more then explains that the now Sherrif of Calumet county knew exactly what those bones were and where they came from. Not an oops, not an accident, not a typo. #blatantplanting #ticktocktimesup #WorkWithKZ https://t.co/46Tg6Xj5DO

— Julie Nash (@justiceseek35) February 9, 2019

Wisconsin Manure Spill Brings Water Contamination Warnings in Beautiful Region

Calumet County in Wisconsin is on the eastern shore of the huge inland lake, Winnebago.

As recently as the 1970s-80s, swimmers in the summer could hug the lake shore from Fond du Lac and swim north some 10 miles to the Columbia Park observation tower to meet friends, and if she were young and had not consumed too many beers, head north to Calumet County

Beautiful area. County and state parks and campsites dot the lake, a little to the south lies the awe-inspiring Kettle Moraine region.

Summer news reports the latest injection of 10,000s of gallons of liquid cow manure into Lake Winnebago has resulted in water contamination warnings.

Observers may ask why the water poisoners, industrial agricultural operations, are allowed to toxify the waters, (WLUK-TV, Wisconsin Public Radio), and why contamination is now a frequent occurrence in Wisconsin surface and ground waters.

Why would some ass do this and why isn't water protection a top priority in Wisconsin?

Because the poisoner, named Gordon Speirs—president of the Dairy Business Association and owner of the industrialized Shiloh Dairy LLC CAFO in Calumet County in the city of Brillion, Wisconsin—and industrialized agriculture make big money, and not polluting would be a cost to them.

Speirs and his ilk do not care about the costs to the waters that they treat like sewers in which they dump their untreated cow manure.

Protection of clean water falls to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and Wisconsin Department of Justice. Both agencies are now Republican operations funded ultimately by Republican donors who will not tolerate state and country efforts to protect safe and clean water.

As Big Ag has taken over the state with the toxic CAFO business model, areas such as east-central Wisconsin take a big hit.

These are costs Big Ag is willing to see the people of Wisconsin pay for the profits of Big Ag.

Big Ag has purchased the Wisconsin governor, the Wisconsin attorney general, Wisconsin Republican legislators, and many county governments in this largely rural state.

As Wisconsin lakes, streams and aquifers are contaminated each year by industrial CAFOs, many people will leave the state, fleeing what is becoming a colony for corporations protected by Republicans.

Young friends and lovers will have to find other ways than swimming of meeting in the Wisconsin summers.

Pollution of water is bad and getting worse, and polluters across Wisconsin are more brazen in how they tell clean water advocates to get lost.

A large summit addressing water polluters is planned for September in Green Bay.

In Kewaunee County Wisconsin, northeast of Lake Winnebago, the chair of the Kewaunee County Land and Water Conservation Committee is a polluter and member of the Dairy Business Association (DBA), who uses his country committee chairmanship to protect other DBA polluters.

From the Green Press Gazette:

Pagel promises obstruction

Claiming that significant “momentum” is underway by farmers in Kewaunee County and defining that as the “right direction” to be finding a balance between clean water, public health and industrial dairy financial profit, while addressing known groundwater pollution in Kewaunee County, John Pagel, the county’s largest liquid manure producer and chair of the Kewaunee County Land and Water Conservation Committee, declared his personal inflexibility on the issue of groundwater pollution regulation with a public accusation that forces are trying to stymie that “momentum,” when he finished his sentence with, “there are some people that are trying to take that away from us, but I’m not going to let them.”

Pagel then insinuated the existence of a near insolvable rift in the Groundwater Work Group membership by literally pointing to the members sitting on either end of the tables, and to their needing to begin working together, and that they hadn’t been doing so thus far when he repeatedly insisted the sooner cooperation ensued, the better. That statement seemed exceptionally hypocritical coming from the work group member who just declared his intended obstruction to recommendations being reported from the Groundwater Work Group.

Mr Pagel went on to employ what easily fits the definition of the proverbial “victim” card, claiming that the factions needed to begin to work together, “… without accusations and insulting and so on and so forth …” Ask yourself, who appears to be making accusations and who appears to be issuing actual insults? Perhaps another definition, “psychological projection,” should be recommended research for those who don’t know of it.

The unmistakable initial value of the public meeting and presentation of the June 2016 Groundwater Work Group Report for Kewaunee County, to me, seems quite obvious. A self-declared obstructionist to the reported direction for addressing groundwater pollution, which may not fit one person’s interests or views as to the “proper” direction to pursue, currently chairs the county committee which is tasked with bringing resolutions for those pollutant solutions officially before the Kewaunee County Board of Supervisors for further action.

The sentiment from those people attending, overwhelmingly appeared to be, let us finally begin to implement the solutions being presented and a call for immediate action. Despite their county corporation counsel’s opinion about what constitutes a legal conflict of interest, the removal and replacement of a county supervisor from an initially appointed committee chair position, to the best of my understanding, does not require that high of a legal bar to begin that said removal action. My understanding is that any committee chairperson serves solely at the pleasure of the county board chair.

Donald Freix
Fish Creek