March 16, 2026
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin legislator has pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct in connection with a bitter feud with her caucus over being excluded from resolutions honoring Hispanics and breaking with her party on state budget and legislative district boundary votes.
Prosecutors in Milwaukee County charged state Rep. Sylvia Ortiz-Velez in February. The Milwaukee Democrat pleaded no contest during a hearing Friday, and Judge Paul Malloy ordered her to pay a $300 fine and submit a DNA sample. She could have faced up to 90 days in jail…