District Attorney Refutes Allegations of Bribery

The Winnebago County District Attorney says enough is enough. He spoke out Monday to deny allegations his office may have accepted bribes.

Last Friday, Action 2 News reported the FBI is investigating Joe Paulus concerning the possibility. We also reported Paulus said the whole thing boils down to a smear campaign by his political opponents.

Monday afternoon, Paulus reitered that position with Action 2 News Fox Valley Bureau Chief Jerry Burke. "This is all about a former disgruntled employee who swore revenge against me and this office," Paulus told Action 2 News.

The district attorney is known to never back down from a fight. That's why he's now out swinging at the people he says are trying to ruin his reputation. Paulus says chief among those is a Menasha police officer.

"This officer, Ann Gollner, from the Menasha P.D., she has conducted her own private secret investigation outside the scope of her employment in the middle of the night going back three to five years interviewing people about those case they were involved in, writing statements herself," he said.

Paulus says Gollner is working on behalf of Assistant District Attorney E.J. Jelinski, who's running against Paulus.

Paulus swears he never accepted money to reduce charges or dismiss any case. "Those days of twenty, thirty years ago when somebody could pull a ticket and make it go away are long since past. Nothing like that ever happened," Paulus said.

Ann Gollner disagrees and says former defense attorney, Milt Schierland, who now works for Paulus is involved. 

"I can just comment on the fact that I turned over numerous cases to the FBI," she told Action 2 News.

Paulus says he doesn't know of any investigation by the FBI that involves him.

A Winnebago County judge has turned over some cases handled by the D.A.'s office to a State judicial review board.