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topicnews · August 27, 2024

Parliamentary candidate faces criminal charges over April election mailing

Parliamentary candidate faces criminal charges over April election mailing

A Republican running for a seat on the South Side legislature faces criminal charges for making false statements against his opponent in the Milwaukee City Council election in April.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday in Milwaukee District Court, accuses Ryan Antczak, 50, of Milwaukee of knowingly making a false statement about Ald. JoCasta Zamarripa’s accomplishments in a flier he continued to distribute ahead of the April 2 election – even after he admitted to the Journal Sentinel that one of the statements was false.

Zamarripa defeated Antczak by a score of almost 2:1.

Antczak’s first court date on the misdemeanor charge is scheduled for September 19. The maximum penalty for that offense is a $1,000 fine and six months behind bars.

On Monday, Antczak declined to comment or reveal the name of his lawyer.

The complaint specifically cites a statement in a flyer distributed by Antczak that falsely claimed Zamarripa was “actively firing” former Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales. The city’s Fire and Police Commission has the sole authority to do so, and it was the commission’s missteps in firing Morales in 2020 that led the city to pay the former chief $627,000 in compensation.

In an interview with the Journal Sentinel on March 29, Antczak quickly acknowledged that the statement was inaccurate.

“That’s a mistake,” Antczak said of his claim. “That’s it.”

However, according to the complaint, he continued to distribute the flyer on March 30, based on two witness statements.

“The continued distribution of the mailing after this confirmation demonstrates that Antczak knew the material was false and continued to publish false statements even after he knew they were false,” the complaint states.

By publishing “demonstrably false” information about Zamarripa “the aim was to influence the outcome of the spring 2024 elections by gaining votes for himself while simultaneously taking votes away from her,” the complaint states.

Zamarripa’s attorney, Michael Maistelman, filed a complaint with the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office in March, accusing Antczak of distributing campaign materials containing “obviously false” claims.

On Monday, Maistelman praised Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm in a statement “for taking this complaint seriously and bringing charges against those who attempt to mislead voters.”

“No candidate should knowingly spread false information about their opponents to gain an advantage,” Maistelman said. “We hope this action sends a clear message that such behavior has no place in our democracy and will be held accountable.”

Antczak is the Republican nominee for the 9th Congressional District, running against Democrat Priscilla A. Prado. The district is 72.5% Democratic.

The seat is vacant after former Assemblywoman Marisabel Cabrera won her election to the Milwaukee District Court judgeship.

The 9th Assembly District stretches from Mitchell Park and West Milwaukee in the north and West Layton Avenue in the south.

Alison Dirr can be reached at [email protected]. Contact Daniel Bice at (414) 313-6684 or [email protected]. Follow him on X at @DanielBice or on Facebook at fb.me/daniel.bice.

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