The final chapter in the career of George Sessler , long one of the city's most notorious landlords, was written in court Monday when he pleaded no contest and was convicted of felony racketeering.
"It's about time," said Colleen Foley, head of the Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee. She called the conviction "sobering" noting "it speaks to the seriousness of the offense."
The plea comes one year after the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office charged the 65-year-old landlord with 18 felonies, including forgery, mail fraud and theft by fraud.
Sessler was charged with an array of wrongdoing in dealing with his tenants. Prosecutors said Sessler's scheme involved filing false garnishment papers against two of his low income tenants.
In order to have convicted Sessler of racketeering at trial, prosecutors would have had to prove he committed at least three interrelated felonies during a seven-year period.
The complaint charged Sessler with theft by fraud saying he "obtained money through a garnishment of (two tenants) wages as a result of the fraudulent orders."
Sessler attempted to garnish a total of $7,455 from two of his former tenants in late 2022, the complaint charged.
Sessler has long been a well-known figure in eviction courts and among public interest lawyers, tenant advocates and city housing officials because of the number of evictions he filed and the poor conditions of his units.
The criminal investigation into Sessler started after a Legal Aid lawyer questioned the authenticity of garnishment documents. Some of the papers appeared to have been repeatedly photocopied and had inconsistent seals and stamps, according to the criminal complaint.
The criminal complaint noted the poor condition of some of the properties Sessler companies rented to low income tenants.
The complaint quoted one frustrated tenant who repeatedly complained about having to live with rat and mice infestations. Several tenants resorted to getting cats to help rid their rental units of rodents.
Sessler, who splits his time between Milwaukee and Las Vegas is out of the landlord business here and does not intend to return to it, said Jason Luczak, his lawyer.
Luczak said Sessler opted not to fight the charges because he "just wanted to resolve it put it behind him," Luczak said.
The Journal Sentinel last year reported that companies controlled by Sessler, including DLS Investment Properties, controlled 88 rental units, most located on the far north or northwest parts of the city.
A Journal Sentinel analysis of city inspection records showed that Sessler's companies racked up 217 code violations from late 2016 to the end of 2022. Issues included mice, roach and bedbug infestations; leaking roofs and broken windows; electrical issues and missing smoke alarms and fire extinguishers.
The racketeering count carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000. He is scheduled to be sentenced June 27.
Contact Cary Spivak at (414) 550-0070 or cspivak@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @cspivak.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Long-time Milwaukee landlord George Sessler convicted of felony racketeering
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