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Madison - Former Senate Majority Leader Chuck Chvala, convicted of felony misconduct in the most widespread probe of Capitol corruption in the state's history, got his license to practice law back today from the State Supreme Court.

Former Senate Majority Leader Chuck Chvala reached a plea deal with prosecutors to settle the criminal case against him. Prosecutors initially filed 20 felony charges against Chvala, a Madison Democrat who left the Senate after his term ended in 2005. Count 11 was dismissed in 2003. The criminal complaint against him provides the following details: Counts 1 and 2, extortion and misconduct in public office... ...Counts 3 and 4, extortion and misconduct in public office... ...Counts 5 and 6, extortion and misconduct in public office...

When he pleaded guilty to misconduct in office and circumventing state election laws in October, Chuck Chvala acknowledged he was giving up his right to a trial, although he told the judge he really wanted one. Just how badly the former Democratic Senate majority leader wanted to fight the charges filed against him three years ago was starkly evident in pre-sentencing papers filed Thursday in Dane County Circuit Court. Alternately combative and grudgingly contrite, Chvala admitted little more than giving legislative staffers the "impression" it was OK to work on campaigns on state time and taking the "risk" that secretly...

1. Chvala to plead guilty tomorrow 2. Doyle campaign spending under scrutiny Former Senate Majority Leader Chuck Chvala reportedly will plead guilty to political corruption as part of a deal reached with prosecutors that will be announced tomorrow. It is not yet known which of the criminal charges Chvala faces are involved in the impending plea agreement. He was charged in October 2002 with 20 felonies, including extortion, illegal campaign contributions and criminal misconduct in public office. < snip > Not only has Governor Jim Doyle's fundraising practices led the U.S. Attorney's office, FBI, state Justice Department and the Dane...

Madison - Wisconsin unions and businesses gave $1.3 million to a national Democratic Party committee, which then returned much of it to an organization prosecutors say Sen. Chuck Chvala illegally ran to skirt state campaign-finance laws, a new report released Thursday charged. Using new Internal Revenue Service data, the non-partisan group Common Cause in Wisconsin was able for the first time to list donations from Wisconsin - including $430,000 from the state's largest teachers union - to the Democratic Leadership Campaign Committee in Washington, D.C., before state elections in 2000 and 2002. Wisconsin contributors gave more to the national committee...

Most state donations came back, report says D.C. Democratic group laundered funds, it says By STEVEN WALTERSswalters@journalsentinel.com Last Updated: Aug. 14, 2003 Madison - Wisconsin unions and businesses gave $1.3 million to a national Democratic Party committee, which then returned much of it to an organization prosecutors say Sen. Chuck Chvala illegally ran to skirt state campaign-finance laws, a new report released Thursday charged.Using new Internal Revenue Service data, the non-partisan group Common Cause in Wisconsin was able for the first time to list donations from Wisconsin - including $430,000 from the state's largest teachers union - to the Democratic...

The FBI is investigating whether two political committees that prosecutors link to state Sen. Chuck Chvala violated federal money laundering laws. According to a criminal complaint filed last year, here is one example of how Chvala is accused of skirting state campaign finance laws: Chvala told lobbyist Bill Broydrick to have his clients contribute money to the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee in Washington, D.C.The DLCC then funneled money back to a phony independent group in Wisconsin called Independent Citizens for Democracy Inc. Chvala is accused of creating and controlling that group.That group spent more than $800,000 during the 2000 campaign...

Milwaukee County District Attorney E. Michael McCann, special prosecutor in the investigation, filed the complaint, accusing Chvala of three counts of extortion; seven counts of misconduct in public office; five counts of filing false reports with the state Elections Board; one count of making an illegal campaign contribution; three counts of making political contributions exceeding the legal limits; and one count of conspiring to make campaign contributions exceeding the legal limits. If convicted, he could face up to 85 years in prison and $200,000 in fines. Chvala, of Madison, became the second Senate Democrat charged in the caucus investigation that...

Some background info for non-Wisconsin residents: Wisconsin currently suffers from a $ 1.1 billion budget deficit. Our Republican Governor has proposed the elimination of state shared revenue funds to individual municipalities...a plan which has been met with "extreme" opposition from local government officials unwilling to try to cut their budgets.The Democratic controlled State Senate has proposed an early retirement program for state employees as a means for budget savings. Below are excerpts from a memo written by Bob Lang, Director of the Legislative Fiscal Bureau for the State of Wisconsin to Senator Chuck Chvala, re: POTENTIAL COSTS AND SAVINGS OF...

Concealed-weapons bill will be an issue, they say By RICHARD P. JONES of the Journal Sentinel staff Last Updated: March 14, 2002 Madison - Denied a Senate vote on a concealed-weapons bill, a Republican senator and the gun lobby set their sights Wednesday on this fall's election and Democrats who blocked action on the measure. Sen. Dave Zien (R-Eau Claire) and Darren LaSorte, a National Rifle Association lobbyist, blasted Senate Majority Leader Chuck Chvala (D-Madison) for preventing a vote on the Senate's last day in regular session. But Chvala said the bill was not one the Senate should pass out...