Milwaukee Alderwoman Accused Of Embezzling $21K In Campaign Funds

MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Alderwoman and U.S. Senate candidate Chantia Lewis is accused of defrauding the City of Milwaukee of $21,666.70 by Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm.

Lewis is charged with four felonies and one misdemeanor: Theft of over $10,000 from a business setting, misconduct in public office, false campaign finance reports, accepting unlawful disbursement from campaign funds and theft through false representation.

If found guilty, Lewis could face up to 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine for the embezzlement charge, the criminal complaint said.

The complaint said that the alderwoman misappropriated funds by sending campaign contributions to her personal bank accounts and using them to pay for personal expenses.

A statement from Lewis' office defending her innocence said the district attorney's office told her the discrepancies were accounting errors and that she cooperating with the investigation.

Lewis announced that she would run for the U.S. Senate as a Democrat July 21. She was first elected into the Common Council in 2016 and re elected in 2020.

Milwaukee Common Council President Cavalier Johnson said he relieved Lewis of her committee assignment duties in a statement Tuesday in face of the charges.

Patch reached out to the alderwoman's office for comment.