Charges Brought Against Former Public Defender

WISN 12 (Milwaukee) has a report on recent charges against a former public defender

On Friday, WISN 12 News gained access to previously sealed court filings in the case against now-former public defender Travis Schwantes.

Prosecutors charged Schwantes, 54, with crimes relating to prostitution and abusing his public office last month in a sweeping prostitution ring operating out of a near west side apartment building. In that criminal complaint, investigators accused Schwantes of lying on a government form in order to represent one of the women he paid for sex as a public defender.

Schwantes, according to investigators, made a name for himself as a public defender for “his work in human trafficking and sex cases.”

But now, it’s the Milwaukee Police Department Human Trafficking Task Force that’s investigating him.

The hundreds of pages of recently unsealed search warrants and affidavits show he may have paid at least three clients, women he represented, for sex.

Court records show that detectives scoured Schwantes’ phone, finding sexually explicit photos and say Schwantes “represented several of the women in his phone in criminal cases as their Public Defender.”

Detectives also found a trail of Venmo and Paypal transactions to those women, with payment descriptions like “joy,” “just us,” and “justice,” ranging from $20 to $1,500.

One woman told investigators “that most of the time that they talked about her cases was at midnight, while both were lying in Schwantes’ bed.”

Investigators said Schwantes invited a key witness in a homicide trial to Culver’s for lunch to discuss her case. The next month, detectives said Schwantes rented a room at the Ambassador Hotel, where investigators said he paid her for sex. The court documents said Schwantes knew she was a sex trafficking victim.

WISN 12 News reached Schwantes’ attorney, Joseph Bugni, who said he did not have a comment.

No additional charges were filed against Schwantes. Right now, he faces two felony charges of soliciting prostitutes and making false representation to qualify for assignment of counsel.

Wisconsin’s rules of professional conduct for attorneys prohibit lawyers from having sexual relationships with clients unless that relationship existed before the legal representation began.

Schwantes resigned from the Office of the Wisconsin State Public Defender, but remains in good standing with the State Bar of Wisconsin.

Prosecutors charged five other men with misdemeanor solicitation charges in the case. They include George Easton, 76, of Pleasant Prairie, William Green, 59, of West Allis, David Ornstein, 50, of Milwaukee, Christopher Riegg, 55, of Greenfield, and Leroy Stewart, 53, of Racine.

All six men are expected in court next week for initial appearances.

Additional reporting from CBS 58

Six people have been charged in a prostitution ring operating in Milwaukee’s near west side, including a former high profile public defender with Milwaukee County.

Fifty-four-year-old Travis Schwantes is facing multiple felony charges of soliciting prostitution and falsifying legal documents to represent one of sex workers he was paying. Five others also charged in connection to this prostitution ring include a retired Kenosha judge, a firefighter with the Milwaukee Fire Department, a funeral director in Oak Creek, a lawyer, and a Department of Transportation worker.

It was at an apartment complex on 29th and Kilbourn law enforcement agencies claimed a prostitution ring was operating.

According to court documents, a sex worker identified Schwantes as her client. A sex worker told investigators Schwantes told her he would “help her in his capacity as an assistant state public defender to clear her warrants,” and logged 1.5 hours of work on her case.

Law enforcement officers say Schwantes used electronic payment apps including Venmo and CashApp to pay the sex workers. On his birthday, Schwantes paid a sex worker on Venmo $300. The payment is listed for “birthday cake.”

Investigators also found additional Venmo payments to a sex worker titled “justice” or “just us.” He’s not the only one.

Retired Kenosha judge George Easton told investigators he paid $200.00 an hour for sex, often when his wife was away.

Leroy Stewart, a funeral director in Oak Creek, told investigators he paid one sex worker $200 in cash for sex once every two to three weeks.

Department of Transportation worker Christopher Reigg told investigators he paid for sex several times over the course of two years. Reigg told investigators he was being blackmailed.

Investigators say David Ornstein, a Milwaukee firefighter, paid for sex at least six times from 2021-2023.

Investigators also say William Green, who was identified by a sex worker as a lawyer, engaged in prostitution numerous times.

Those five men face a misdemeanor charge. Schwantes is scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 20th.

(Mike Frisch)