(The Heart Sq.) – A former Milwaukee alderwoman may spend time behind bars for utilizing her marketing campaign checking account as a private slush fund.

A choose on Thursday sentenced former Alderwoman Chantia Lewis to 30 days in jail and three years on probation.

“We do maintain up people in public workplace to a better stage than others and subsequently we’re held accountable and extra is predicted from us with regard to selections that we make,” Choose Milton Childs stated at her sentencing.

Lewis may spend her 30 days underneath home arrest as a substitute of the Milwaukee Home of Corrections, however jail managers must sign-off on that.

Prosecutors say Lewis stole not less than $21,000 between 2016 and 2020 by submitting false reimbursement receipts to Milwaukee for journeys and issues she paid for along with her marketing campaign account.

Investigators say she then spent the cash on herself, journeys, her automobiles, and even her bank card payments.

Lewis pleaded responsible to at least one rely of misconduct in public workplace, and she or he pleaded no contest to a rely of deliberately accepting an unlawful marketing campaign finance disbursement.

Lewis instructed the choose she made a mistake, and admitted to utilizing “unhealthy judgement.”

“I believed operating for workplace was traumatizing,” Lewis stated. “This has been the only most traumatizing occasion in my total life. I’ve completely tried to stay my life in a way the place I’d not get in hassle as a result of I used to be too afraid to get in hassle and I wished to be an instance to my youngsters and individuals who seemed as much as me,” Lewis stated at her sentencing.

Lewis’ responsible plea value her her workplace and her $73,000 annual wage again in July.