Charles Chvala is a Wisconsin

Wisconsin

Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...

 politician and legislator.

Born in Merrill, Wisconsin

Merrill, Wisconsin

Merrill is a city in Lincoln County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 10,728 at the 2010 census. The city is located to the south of and adjacent to the Town of Merrill....

, Chvala graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and received his law degree there. In 1983, he served in the Wisconsin State Assembly

Wisconsin State Assembly

The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin....

 as a Democratic lawmaker. He served in the Wisconsin State Senate

Wisconsin State Senate

The Wisconsin Senate, the powers of which are modeled after those of the U.S. Senate, is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature, smaller than the Wisconsin State Assembly...

from 1985 until his indictment in 2005. On October 17, 2002 he was charged with 20 felony counts, including extortion, misconduct in public office and filing false reports with the state Elections Board. He was sentenced to nine months in jail with two years of probation for his part in the state Capitol corruption scandal.