Taxpayers paid over $577,000 to nine Walker security agents

Most of the payouts came
during Walker’s presidential run

MADISON, Wis. —Taxpayers paid out more than $577,000 to nine current and former members of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s security team last year after a federal agency found the state had wrongly withheld overtime pay from them.

According to the State Patrol, the payouts cover a period of time, from May 2013 to May 2015, when Walker was frequently traveling as he considered a presidential run.

The biggest payment went to Sgt. Eric Dante, who was paid $93,284, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The three sergeants who received the next highest payments got amounts similar to each other — Scott Gouin (about $77,000), Luke Kraemer ($76,000) and Ricky Fitzgerald ($73,000).

Three others were paid between $62,000-66,000 each, one was paid about $55,000 and one was paid about $10,000.

All those payments came on top of the employees’ regular pay of $70,000-82,000 a year.

Reports are that Walker’s campaign and political organizations paid the airfare and hotel costs of the security team during that time, but did not pay the state troopers’ salaries. The security team provided round-the-clock protection for Walker and occasional security for his family, Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch and visiting officials.

Democratic state senator Jon Erpenbach criticizes Walker for the additional security costs, but says he doesn’t hold the state troopers who protect the governor responsible for the big payouts. 

“It’s just excessive,” Erpenbach (D-Middleton) said. “Taxpayers paid for an entourage for him and it wasn’t necessary. There’s no excuse for it.”

Walker’s campaign had more than $1 million in debt when he ended his run, but he has pledged to raise the money to pay off that debt.