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A Madison lobbyist was charged Monday with felony theft and identity theft for allegedly using her employer’s credit card for personal expenses.
Katherine M. Venskus, 34, of Oconomowoc, allegedly used the card belonging to Minneapolis-based Public Affairs Company to make $15,473 in unauthorized purchases, according to a criminal complaint filed in Dane County Circuit Court.
Venskus was known as Katherine Heringlake when she pleaded no contest in 2002 to forgery, a felony, for stealing almost $13,000 from the National Abortion Rights Action League of Wisconsin, when she was president of its board of directors.
Venskus was sentenced to four years of probation and 160 hours of community service.
State law currently does not prohibit felons from working as lobbyists, said Reid Magney, spokesman for the state Government Accountability Board.
Venskus, who could not be reached for comment, notified GAB on July 28 that she was no longer employed by the Minneapolis lobbying company and was working for Venskus Consulting, Magney said. Her current clients include AT&T Wisconsin and Education Reform Now, two groups she had represented while with PAC.
Venskus’ attorney, Stephen Meyer, said the charges are "only allegations" and that when all the facts come out there will be a different conclusion.
According to the complaint, Venskus was vice president of accounts at PAC’s Madison office. In a letter to Madison police on July 17, PAC listed transactions on the firm’s credit card that it said were unauthorized personal expenses, including a freezer full of steaks, the complaint states.
Venskus told Madison police Detective Samantha Kellogg that she had reimbursed all of the expenses and had done nothing wrong, according to the complaint.
After leaving NARAL, Venskus worked for former state Sen. Brian Burke, where she was paid for doing fundraising work on state time for Burke’s ill-fated campaign for state attorney general. Burke was ultimately convicted of felony misconduct in office, but Venskus wasn’t charged.
Stacy Thompson, PAC’s senior vice president for accounts, told police that she was unaware of Venskus’ 2002 forgery conviction when Venskus was hired in January 2008.
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