Lawyer sentenced to year in jail in stalking case
A Milwaukee criminal defense lawyer found himself being handcuffed in a courtroom Thursday for the second time in less than a year.
Last fall, police arrested Matthew Meyer, 35, in the Criminal Justice Facility on a host of charges related to a bitter, drawn-out exit from a volatile relationship with a former girlfriend.
On Thursday, a sheriff ’s deputy put cuffs on Meyer again after he was sentenced to a year in jail for crimes the judge said were made worse by Meyer’s “energized evil” against the woman, a 30-year-old medical professional he dated off and on for about three years starting in 2016.
Assistant District Attorney Erin Karshen called Meyer arrogant and manipulative and said he used his position as a lawyer to “weaponize the criminal justice system” in threats against the woman. Karshen recommended he serve 18 months in prison.
She read about a dozen examples from the hundreds of threatening text messages Meyer sent: that he would have his dangerous criminal clients harm her or her family, that he destroyed people in court, that he would reveal her as mentally ill to her employer, and that she should go ahead and commit suicide.
Karshen also explained how Meyer used a program to send dozens — and sometimes more than 100 — calls and texts a day to the woman from what appeared to the numbers of her friends, family and coworkers.
She said Meyer continued threatening and harassing the victim even after his arrest, the imposition of a no-contact order and after he was later put on GPS tracking bracelet while out on bail. Meyer denied any misconduct after his arrest.
Both the victim and her mother made emotional statements to Circuit Judge Joe Wall about the impact the stalking and threats had on them. The victim said that last year, she only wanted to be left alone, but now thought Meyer should go to prison.
She disputed Meyer and his attorney’s claim that Meyer has devoted himself to counseling, therapy and volunteering since his arrest.
“He has no remorse,” she said. “He’s only sorry he got caught.”
Robert Labell said his client has engaged in an extraordinary effort to change his behavior since his arrest, and the director of a program for batterers even spoke of Meyer’s unusual dedication to it and helping other men gain insight.
Labell said Meyer has no socio- or psychopathic traits and is a low-risk to reoffend. He suggested three years of probation, with 60 days of work release jail as a condition.
His law partner also spoke for Meyer, who he said stopped taking clients but continued helping run the law firm while putting in many hours a week at counseling and volunteering.
“He’s shown me that Matt (from the complaint) is gone and won’t come back,” said Benjamin Van Serveren.
Meyer apologized to the woman and told Wall he was disgusted with himself and ashamed. He said he became a lawyer because fairness is so important to him, but went against that basic belief in his treatment of the victim. “There was nothing fair about it,” he said.
Besides the harassing texts and emails, there was also some physical violence in the relationship.
During an April 2018 argument in Meyer’s apartment, he punched her in the head and she suffered a concussion, she said Thursday. Shortly after that incident, each of them sought temporary restraining orders against the other but they each agreed to dismiss them in May 2018.
Meyer pleaded guilty last month to stalking and threatening to communicate derogatory information, each felonies. Prosecutors agreed to dismiss counts of substantial battery and witness intimidation.
Wall ordered Meyer to serve “straight time” at the House of Correction, without work release, on the stalking count, followed by three years probation on the threats count. If Meyer violates conditions, by having any contact with the victim or her family, he would go to prison for 18 months, followed by two years of extended supervision.
According to his attorney’s sentencing memo, Meyer tried to surrender his law license earlier but had to await the outcome of an investigation by the Office of Lawyer Responsibility.
Meyer graduated from Marquette Law School in 2012 and started his practice in 2014 that is now known as Meyer Van Severen S.C.