Georgia Thompson
Encyclopedia
Georgia L. Thompson is a current Wisconsin
civil servant who was convicted of federal corruption charges in 2006, but released by an appeals court in 2007 when her conviction was overturned.
Thompson is a Madison
native, and graduated from Madison East High School
in 1968. She was one of ten children; her father was a painter for the University of Wisconsin–Madison
, and her mother was a janitor for the Department of Administration. She worked in the travel
industry for 27 years, and lived in Waunakee
. Thompson was hired in 2001 into the civil service by the state Department of Administration, when Republican
Scott McCallum
was Governor
. Thompson was described as "apolitical", hard-working, and "intensely private".
, although Omega's bid scored higher on a point formula used by the department. It emerged that during the 2006 re-election campaign of Democratic
Gov. Jim Doyle
, two Adelman executives including owner Craig Adelman had each contributed $10,000 to the Doyle campaign, even though in previous years, including Doyle's first gubernatorial campaign, they had never given more than $1,000.
In January 2006, Thompson was indicted
on charges that she steered the contract to Adelman as a reward for its campaign contributions. According to the indictment, Thompson "intentionally inflated her scores for Adelman and suggested that other committee members do the same." After Omega still came out ahead, the indictment said, Thompson convinced the panel to do a "best and final" bid round between just the two companies, which Adelman won. Thompson was indicted on two felony counts, misapplication of funds and fraud. Later that month, Gov. Doyle cancelled the Adelman contract, but the campaign did not return the contributions.
In June 2006, a federal jury convicted Thompson of both felony counts. According to United States Attorney
Steven Biskupic, although there was no "pay to play" deal alleged, the contributions were part of an overall scheme that constituted honest services fraud
. Trial testimony showed that Doyle and his aide Marc Marotta had meetings and phone contacts with Adelman executives during the bidding period; according to Doyle's top aide Steve Bablitch, no connection with the Governor was shown at trial. Members of the committee also testified that Thompson had told them that the contract needed to go to Adelman for "political reasons." Doyle and Marotta were not charged. According to Doyle, Thompson acted on her own, and prosecutor Biskupic said the case was about "Georgia Thompson and Georgia Thompson alone." Thompson had resigned her position before Doyle could fire her. Although Thompson faced a maximum of 20 years in federal prison, she was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Rudolph T. Randa
to 18 months.
The conviction led to heated charges in the 2006 gubernatorial campaign, with Republican candidate Mark Green proposing ethical reforms if elected and pro-Green political groups running television ads criticizing Doyle and tying him to Thompson. Democratic Party state chair Joe Wineke
called the attacks "dishonest" and "hypocritical" and said that they were an attempt to distract voters from campaign contribution problems of Green.
immediately reversed Thompson's conviction on hearing oral arguments in the case on April 5, 2007. Without waiting until completion of a written decision, the judges ordered that Thompson be released from Federal Correctional Institution, Pekin
in Pekin, Illinois
without delay. Judge Diane Wood called the prosecution's evidence "beyond thin." During oral arguments, the judges had pointedly questioned the Assistant U.S. Attorney defending the appeal, asking why Doyle or Adelman were not prosecuted, one asking, "Am I missing something?" Of the bid-scoring formula, another opined, "Because they flunked high school math doesn't mean a felony was committed." Gov. Doyle, on hearing the news, said she was entitled to her job back, and said he looked forward to meeting her for the first time.
A former U.S. Attorney who is a professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School
, Frank Tuerkheimer, said he could not recall another case "where an appellate court after hearing oral arguments ordered the release of a person who's confined" that same day. A former Assistant U.S. Attorney who is a Madison lawyer, Chris Van Wagner, predicted a "strongly worded" written opinion telling the government, "You never had enough to get out of the starting gate."
According to her attorney, the prosecution and conviction cost Thompson over $300,000, including lost pay, her savings, her condo, and her pension, which she cashed in to pay for her legal defense. Democrats asked whether U.S. Attorney Biskupic was pressured by the White House
or the Justice Department
to prosecute Democrats, as other U.S. Attorneys allegedly were in the Bush administration Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy
. Jurors defended their verdict, and some Democrats, including former Wisconsin Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager
, who conducted a parallel investigation, said that Biskupic was not politically motivated. Thompson made no statement to the media.
On April 10, Congresswoman
Tammy Baldwin
of Madison called on her colleagues to investigate the Thompson case as part of the overall U.S. Attorneys dismissal controversy
. The Senate Judiciary Committee delivered a letter to United States Attorney General
Alberto Gonzales
asking for documents in the case.
The Court of Appeals issued its written opinion in United States v. Thompson on April 20, 2007. The Wisconsin Department of Administration also announced that Thompson had been reinstated at her old salary but in a different job, and she would receive back pay dating from her resignation. She would also be eligible for reimbursement for legal expenses, but she would have to file a claim. By March 5, 2008, both houses of the state legislature voted without dissent to reimburse Thompson $228,792 in legal expenses.
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...
civil servant who was convicted of federal corruption charges in 2006, but released by an appeals court in 2007 when her conviction was overturned.
Thompson is a Madison
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
native, and graduated from Madison East High School
Madison East High School
Madison East High School is one of four comprehensive four-year high schools in Madison, Wisconsin. It was established in 1922, making it the oldest high school still operating in Madison. The school mascot is the "Purgolder", an animal resembling a puma. Madison East athletes compete in the WIAA...
in 1968. She was one of ten children; her father was a painter for the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
, and her mother was a janitor for the Department of Administration. She worked in the travel
Travel
Travel is the movement of people or objects between relatively distant geographical locations. 'Travel' can also include relatively short stays between successive movements.-Etymology:...
industry for 27 years, and lived in Waunakee
Waunakee, Wisconsin
Waunakee is a village in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States . The population was 12,097 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area. Waunakee bills itself as "The Only Waunakee in the World." The village was named as #78 in CNN Money's "Top 100 Best Places to...
. Thompson was hired in 2001 into the civil service by the state Department of Administration, when Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Scott McCallum
Scott McCallum
Scott McCallum is a member of the Republican Party who served as the 43rd Governor of Wisconsin, from 2001 to 2003. Prior to assuming the role of governor upon the appointment of Tommy Thompson as Secretary of Health and Human Services, McCallum served as a member of the Wisconsin State Senate and...
was Governor
Governor of Wisconsin
The Governor of Wisconsin is the highest executive authority in the government of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The position was first filled by Nelson Dewey on June 7, 1848, the year Wisconsin became a state...
. Thompson was described as "apolitical", hard-working, and "intensely private".
Travel contract controversy
In 2005, Thompson was on a panel considering competitive bids for a state travel contract worth up to $250,000 annually over three years. The contract was awarded to Adelman Travel, whose bid was lower than the other finalist, Omega Travel of VirginiaVirginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, although Omega's bid scored higher on a point formula used by the department. It emerged that during the 2006 re-election campaign of Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Gov. Jim Doyle
Jim Doyle
James Edward "Jim" Doyle is a Wisconsin politician and member of the Democratic Party. He was the 44th Governor of Wisconsin, serving from January 6, 2003 to January 3, 2011. He defeated incumbent Governor Scott McCallum by a margin of 45 percent to 41 percent; the Libertarian Party candidate Ed...
, two Adelman executives including owner Craig Adelman had each contributed $10,000 to the Doyle campaign, even though in previous years, including Doyle's first gubernatorial campaign, they had never given more than $1,000.
In January 2006, Thompson was indicted
Indictment
An indictment , in the common-law legal system, is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that maintain the concept of felonies, the serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that lack the concept of felonies often use that of an indictable offence—an...
on charges that she steered the contract to Adelman as a reward for its campaign contributions. According to the indictment, Thompson "intentionally inflated her scores for Adelman and suggested that other committee members do the same." After Omega still came out ahead, the indictment said, Thompson convinced the panel to do a "best and final" bid round between just the two companies, which Adelman won. Thompson was indicted on two felony counts, misapplication of funds and fraud. Later that month, Gov. Doyle cancelled the Adelman contract, but the campaign did not return the contributions.
In June 2006, a federal jury convicted Thompson of both felony counts. According to United States Attorney
United States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
Steven Biskupic, although there was no "pay to play" deal alleged, the contributions were part of an overall scheme that constituted honest services fraud
Honest services fraud
Honest services fraud refers to a 28-word sentence of , added by the United States Congress in 1988, which states: "For the purposes of this chapter, the term, scheme or artifice to defraud includes a scheme or artifice to deprive another of the intangible right of honest services."The statute...
. Trial testimony showed that Doyle and his aide Marc Marotta had meetings and phone contacts with Adelman executives during the bidding period; according to Doyle's top aide Steve Bablitch, no connection with the Governor was shown at trial. Members of the committee also testified that Thompson had told them that the contract needed to go to Adelman for "political reasons." Doyle and Marotta were not charged. According to Doyle, Thompson acted on her own, and prosecutor Biskupic said the case was about "Georgia Thompson and Georgia Thompson alone." Thompson had resigned her position before Doyle could fire her. Although Thompson faced a maximum of 20 years in federal prison, she was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Rudolph T. Randa
Rudolph T. Randa
Rudolph T. Randa is an Article III United States judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. Judge Randa is currently the Chief Judge of the Court serving as the Court's lead judicial administrative officer in conjunction with the clerk of that Court. Judge...
to 18 months.
The conviction led to heated charges in the 2006 gubernatorial campaign, with Republican candidate Mark Green proposing ethical reforms if elected and pro-Green political groups running television ads criticizing Doyle and tying him to Thompson. Democratic Party state chair Joe Wineke
Joe wineke
Joe Wineke is an American Politician. He served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly and Wisconsin State Senate and was elected for two terms as the Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. He is succeeded by Mike Tate....
called the attacks "dishonest" and "hypocritical" and said that they were an attempt to distract voters from campaign contribution problems of Green.
Conviction reversed
A panel of judges from the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh CircuitUnited States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the courts in the following districts:* Central District of Illinois* Northern District of Illinois...
immediately reversed Thompson's conviction on hearing oral arguments in the case on April 5, 2007. Without waiting until completion of a written decision, the judges ordered that Thompson be released from Federal Correctional Institution, Pekin
Federal Correctional Institution, Pekin
Federal Correctional Institution, Pekin is medium security federal prison for males. It is located on Illinois Route 29 on the south edge of Pekin, Illinois, and there an adjacent satellite prison camp for minimum security female inmates....
in Pekin, Illinois
Pekin, Illinois
Pekin is a the county seat of Tazewell County in the U.S. state of Illinois. Located on the Illinois River, Pekin is also the largest city of Tazewell County, and a key part of the Peoria metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, its population is 34,094. A small portion of the city limits extends...
without delay. Judge Diane Wood called the prosecution's evidence "beyond thin." During oral arguments, the judges had pointedly questioned the Assistant U.S. Attorney defending the appeal, asking why Doyle or Adelman were not prosecuted, one asking, "Am I missing something?" Of the bid-scoring formula, another opined, "Because they flunked high school math doesn't mean a felony was committed." Gov. Doyle, on hearing the news, said she was entitled to her job back, and said he looked forward to meeting her for the first time.
A former U.S. Attorney who is a professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School
University of Wisconsin Law School
The University of Wisconsin Law School is the professional school for the study of law at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in Madison, Wisconsin. The law school was founded in 1868.-Facilities:...
, Frank Tuerkheimer, said he could not recall another case "where an appellate court after hearing oral arguments ordered the release of a person who's confined" that same day. A former Assistant U.S. Attorney who is a Madison lawyer, Chris Van Wagner, predicted a "strongly worded" written opinion telling the government, "You never had enough to get out of the starting gate."
According to her attorney, the prosecution and conviction cost Thompson over $300,000, including lost pay, her savings, her condo, and her pension, which she cashed in to pay for her legal defense. Democrats asked whether U.S. Attorney Biskupic was pressured by the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
or the Justice Department
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
to prosecute Democrats, as other U.S. Attorneys allegedly were in the Bush administration Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy
Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy
The dismissal of U.S. Attorneys controversy was initiated by the unprecedented midterm dismissal of seven United States Attorneys on December 7, 2006 by the George W. Bush administration's Department of Justice. Congressional investigations focused on whether the Department of Justice and the White...
. Jurors defended their verdict, and some Democrats, including former Wisconsin Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager
Peg Lautenschlager
Peggy A. "Peg" Lautenschlager was Attorney General of the State of Wisconsin from January 3, 2003 to January 3, 2007. She succeeded fellow Democrat James Doyle when Doyle was elected Governor of Wisconsin in 2002...
, who conducted a parallel investigation, said that Biskupic was not politically motivated. Thompson made no statement to the media.
On April 10, Congresswoman
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
Tammy Baldwin
Tammy Baldwin
Tammy Suzanne Green Baldwin is the U.S. Representative for Wisconsin's 2nd congressional district, serving since 1999. She is a member of the Democratic Party. In September 2011, Baldwin announced she would be a candidate in the 2012 U.S...
of Madison called on her colleagues to investigate the Thompson case as part of the overall U.S. Attorneys dismissal controversy
Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy
The dismissal of U.S. Attorneys controversy was initiated by the unprecedented midterm dismissal of seven United States Attorneys on December 7, 2006 by the George W. Bush administration's Department of Justice. Congressional investigations focused on whether the Department of Justice and the White...
. The Senate Judiciary Committee delivered a letter to United States Attorney General
United States Attorney General
The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government. The attorney general is considered to be the chief lawyer of the U.S. government...
Alberto Gonzales
Alberto Gonzales
Alberto R. Gonzales was the 80th Attorney General of the United States. Gonzales was appointed to the post in February 2005 by President George W. Bush. Gonzales was the first Hispanic Attorney General in U.S. history and the highest-ranking Hispanic government official ever...
asking for documents in the case.
The Court of Appeals issued its written opinion in United States v. Thompson on April 20, 2007. The Wisconsin Department of Administration also announced that Thompson had been reinstated at her old salary but in a different job, and she would receive back pay dating from her resignation. She would also be eligible for reimbursement for legal expenses, but she would have to file a claim. By March 5, 2008, both houses of the state legislature voted without dissent to reimburse Thompson $228,792 in legal expenses.
External links
- Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals decision issued April 20, 2007