Former Milwaukee City Attorney Tearman Spencer has been sentenced to serve 18 months behind bars following his felony conviction for misconduct in public office. The sentencing concludes a contentious legal chapter for the former municipal official, whose term directing the city’s legal department was clouded by allegations of self-dealing and ethical misconduct.
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Jorge R. Fragoso handed down the sentence during a court proceeding on Sept. 10, ordering the 69-year-old former elected leader to serve a year and a half of confinement alongside paying a $7,000 fine. Spencer visibly reacted in the courtroom as the determination was read, letting his shoulders drop slightly and pinching the bridge of his nose upon learning his fate.
In addition to the custodial sentence and monetary penalty, Judge Fragoso ordered Spencer to fulfill 100 hours of community service. The judge also stipulated that Spencer must participate in and complete a cognitive thinking class as part of the conditions attached to his sentence.
Spencer is slated to serve his incarceration period at the Milwaukee County Community Reintegration Center, a local detention facility situated in Franklin. An exact surrender date was not immediately determined at the close of the hearing, and Spencer departed the courtroom alongside his defense attorney, William Sulton.
The sentencing follows a four-day criminal trial in late July, which concluded on July 31 when a Milwaukee County jury delivered a guilty verdict on a single felony count of misconduct in public office. During those same proceedings, the jury acquitted Spencer of a separate misdemeanor charge of obstructing an officer.
Under Wisconsin law, the felony charge carried substantial statutory penalties. Prior to sentencing, Spencer faced the possibility of receiving up to two years of imprisonment, an additional 18 months of extended supervision, and a maximum financial penalty of up to $10,000.
The state’s case focused on Spencer using his executive authority to secure personal advantages and interfere with standard regulatory procedures. Prosecutors demonstrated that Spencer used his elected position to intimidate personnel from the city’s Department of Neighborhood Services who were attempting to conduct routine inspections on a building he formerly owned.
Evidence presented at trial showed that Spencer had been using the commercial structure as a private storage space for his personal vehicles. To prevent municipal enforcement and bypass required maintenance, Spencer directed staff members within the City Attorney’s Office to produce an official legal memorandum intended to halt property inspections, thereby avoiding thousands of dollars in municipal code fees and building repairs.
During the sentencing phase, Assistant Attorney General Nicolas Heitman argued for a six- to nine-month jail term, highlighting the severity of violating the public trust while serving in an elected capacity. Heitman emphasized to the court that Spencer had exploited his public post for private gain while failing to show remorse for his actions.
Addressing the bench, Heitman maintained that the property intervention was not an isolated incident in the former official's career. He stressed that Spencer's actions pointed toward a troubling trajectory, noting that at a certain stage, such repeated conduct begins to reflect a broader behavioral pattern.
Spencer first assumed municipal leadership after winning election as Milwaukee City Attorney in April 2020. However, his tenure in office was punctuated by persistent controversies, culminating in his electoral loss in 2024 when voters replaced him with current City Attorney Evan Goyke.
Spencer’s legal troubles extend beyond the misconduct conviction. The former city attorney remains embroiled in a separate criminal prosecution that originated in October 2025, when state prosecutors filed four additional felony charges against him in connection with alleged real estate fraud.
In that outstanding case, authorities accuse Spencer of collaborating with real estate agent Kennard Wragg in an improper property acquisition scheme. Court documents state that Wragg convinced a Milwaukee resident to bypass standard probate court procedures to sell a family estate property to them for $8,000, an amount far below its actual value, with the intent to resell the parcel for a substantial profit.
That second criminal matter has since been transferred to neighboring Waukesha County for further adjudication. Spencer is scheduled to appear in a Waukesha County courtroom for a hearing in that four-felony case on Sept. 11.
The ruling marks a decisive development in the legal fallout surrounding the former city attorney's administration, reinforcing accountability measures for elected leaders while Spencer prepares for further proceedings in his pending criminal cases.
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