Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Pantzlaff Plays Scapegoat For Failed Money Laundering Scheme

Andy Pantzlaff was the figurehead for the sketchy group called United Sportsman of Wisconsin, which turned out to be nothing but a money laundering operation that would have taken taxpayer dollars attained through a corrupt dealing by Scott Suder and Scott Walker and used it to funnel it back as campaign donations.  When the story broke open, Walker quickly distanced himself from the group and called off the grant - for now anyway.

Now we find that Pantzlaff has resigned from the state board that he sat on, which he used to channel the money to his group (no conflict of interest to see here, folks):
The head of the politically connected sportsmen’s group that won — and quickly lost — a $500,000 state grant after misrepresenting its tax-exempt status has resigned from his post on the state’s Sporting Heritage Council.

“With much regret I resign my position on the SHC,” United Sportsmen of Wisconsin president Andy Pantzlaff wrote Monday in a brief email to Scott Gunderson, the executive assistant at the state Department of Natural Resources.

The Sporting Heritage Council advises Gov. Scott Walker, the Natural Resources Board and Legislature on fishing, hunting and trapping issues. The 12-member council focuses on recruitment, retention and increasing access to resources and outdoor opportunities.

[...]

United Sportsmen has since issued a statement saying Pantzlaff had not consulted with the group’s legal counsel and “was mistaken about the exemption process.”
I would advise the gentle reader to not become too excited over this news. It is not justice being done. It is a red herring to distract one's attention from the fact that justice is indeed not being carried out.

For if there was justice, Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen would have stopped being the pathetic partisan troll that he is and would have arrested and charged Pantzlaff for attempted fraud. He would also have arrested and charged Suder for his role in the corruption.

Instead, Van Hollen is too busy trying to figure out a way to help divert the Freedom of Information Act, claiming that it somehow does not apply to ALEC-owned politicians.

In fact, I would not be surprised if we learn that the grant money was doled out to a group called Wisconsin's United Sportsmen who was controlled by a man named Randy Pantzlaff.

All of which Scott Walker will do his best Sergeant Schultz - and what might be one of the few true statements Walker has ever made - "I know nothink!"

10 comments:

  1. Has Luke hilgemann resigned yet? he was ready to grab our money to "train" Wi hunters and he lives in Virginia.

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  2. DNR needs to be investigated. They have become a rogue agency that serves at the behest of special interests and unscrupulous legislators. Kedzie and Steineke, DNR committee chairs, sat with Pantzlaff on the Sporting Heritage Council along with Gunderson ....no wonder there was no oversight of this bogus grant. Amazing how the normally loud GOP has gone mute on this issue. Suder should go to jail. Hopefully the Dane Co D A will get John Doe involved so that those involved who have lost their voices will be compelled to talk. Is this the issue that finally does Scott Walker in? It seems petty on the surface but we know that with him and his minions there's always more to the story. Things don't smell right at DNR and I don't think it's because Stepp's Moroney's or Gunderson's deodorant failed. Rep. LeMahieu co-sponsored this fraud... is he the weak link that will burst the dam?

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  3. The whole Walker army smells like a dead a dead skunk ............. Where is the FBI now?

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  4. Geeezzz...Seems to me George Ryan and Blagoavich went to prison for less corruption than Scott Walker, and his lock step brown shirts. Why hasn't Kedzi been investigated for at least incompetence and forced to resign. This is outrageous every day it's something new. Where are the Feds and the FBI, this is treason against the state and it's people. We have a rouge government here put in place by gerrmeandering, by government officials that signed a pledge to not talk to the people of the state about this. I want to know what can legally be done when we have a hostile take over in our state.

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  5. Sure that Walker's house of cards will collapse eventually. Imagine the attention that will be focused on Scooter's college career if he becomes a serious presidential candidate. A hard rain's gonna fall.

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  6. No one should feel bad for Pantzlaff. Scooter will wait for some time to pass so people forget about Pantzlaff. Then he'll be rewarded with a nice, cushy job working for Walker. Isn't that the way our gov operates? Throw his minions under the bus then reward them?

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  7. What the hell is this? http://unitedsportsmenwi.com/2013/03/11/support-for-passage-of-mining-bill-bringing-jobs-improving-conservation-and-protecting-the-environment/

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  8. How does GTac tie in with United Sportsmen of Wi?

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  9. Are Democrats in the legislature capable of starting an investigation into this scandal, or do the Republicans have the power to block any attempt to investigate? This case of brazen corruption must be investigated, but I don't know if the Democrats have the ability or the will to do it. Time to put pressure on them...

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    1. I agree that this should be made into a campaign issue NOW. JFC Co-Chair Nygren claims of "the process worked" smacks of cover-up. Time to turn perception into reality

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