Tearman Spencer Found Guilty of Felony Misconduct

Tearman Spencer exits a courtroom in Feb. 2025. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

Former City Attorney Tearman Spencer has been found guilty of felony misconduct in office.

Spencer, 69, served as the city attorney from 2020-2024 before losing his reelection bid.

A jury found Friday that Spencer used his position for personal gain by having a subordinate draft a legal opinion that was used to attempt to avoid inspection fees for storing his private car collection in a warehouse on N. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. The strategy was alleged to have saved Spencer thousands of dollars.

The maximum penalty for the Class I felony is a $10,000 fine and imprisonment of no more than three-and-a-half years. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 11.

After serving in a week-long trial, the jury also found Spencer not guilty of a lesser charge: misdemeanor obstruction of an officer.

Spencer, when he was voluntarily interviewed in July 2024, was alleged to have falsely denied giving the property owner a City Attorney’s Office memo about vehicle storage and occupancy rules, saying he did not remember providing it and saw no reason to do so. Investigators said email records showed Spencer had forwarded the memo from his city account to his personal account and then emailed it to the owner. Prosecutors allege those statements knowingly misled officers during their investigation, constituting obstruction, a Class A misdemeanor.

“After five days in court, the jury found that Tearman Spencer did not provide false information to investigators. We stand by the fact that requesting legal research does not constitute misconduct in office, and we fundamentally disagree with the jury’s conclusion on that point. We are assessing our options and will determine our next steps soon,” said Spencer’s counsel, William Sulton, in a statement after the verdict.

The case was heard by Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Jorge Fragoso and prosecuted by the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office. Nicolas J. Heitman was the initial prosecuting attorney, but took a new job with the Wisconsin Department of Justice in the lead up to the case. Heitman and assistant district attorney Nate Kristian McClure jointly served as prosecutors during the trial, according to court records.

Spencer’s other criminal charges

The split verdict does not end Spencer’s legal troubles.

He still faces two pending cases in Waukesha County Circuit Court stemming from an allegedly improper real estate transaction and his subsequent contact with a potential witness.

In the underlying case, prosecutors allege Spencer and real estate agent Kennard Wragg improperly acquired a house from an estate for $8,000, made repairs, paid delinquent taxes and attempted to sell it for nearly $250,000. Spencer was charged in October 2025 with four felonies: conspiracy to receive stolen property, conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit criminal slander of title and conspiracy to falsely exercise the function of a public office. The charges also involve allegations that Spencer acted as a notary after his notary commission had been revoked. Spencer has maintained his innocence, and Sulton has argued that the case was filed because Spencer rejected a plea agreement in the misconduct-in-office case.

The case, according to prosecutors, was discovered during the July 2024 search of Spencer’s phone.

Spencer also faces a felony bail-jumping charge for allegedly contacting probate attorney Bettie Rodgers, a prospective witness in the real estate case. Prosecutors allege Spencer offered to direct legal work to Rodgers in what they characterized as a “veiled bribe.” Investigators discovered the alleged contact while searching Spencer’s phone in May. Spencer’s defense denies that any crime occurred. The cases are being handled in Waukesha County because Milwaukee County judges recused themselves after Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Lena Taylor, who was a practicing attorney at the time of the transaction, was identified as a potential witness.

A status conference is scheduled for Aug. 3 on the real estate transaction charges.

Misconduct in office charge

Prosecutors, in their initial October 2024 complaint, alleged Spencer used the City Attorney’s Office to help himself and the owner of a building where he stored about a dozen vehicles avoid Department of Neighborhood Services (DNS) inspections, violations and thousands of dollars in related fees. After DNS inspectors raised questions about the property’s use and whether it needed an occupancy permit, Spencer allegedly directed subordinates to research the issue without disclosing his personal interest. An assistant city attorney then produced a memo suggesting that a building used primarily for car storage might not be considered vacant or require certain registrations.

The complaint says Spencer forwarded that internal memo from his city email to his personal account and then sent it to property owner Mohammad Arif Ghaffar, who later presented it to DNS inspectors as justification for resisting enforcement. DNS officials said they had neither requested nor received the memo through normal channels. Prosecutors contend Spencer was effectively using the city’s lawyers against another city department, his own client, to protect his vehicle storage arrangement and help stop inspections, violations and fees.