KENOSHA, Wis. – A third legal victory by journalist Kevin Mathewson has brought to light a controversial, secret courtroom process that once allowed illegal immigrants in Kenosha County to avoid criminal charges for driving without a license—shielding records from the public and media under the leadership of former District Attorney Michael Graveley.
The lawsuit, filed under Wisconsin’s Open Records Law, forced the disclosure of deferred prosecution agreements (DPAs) that had been withheld for months. At the center of the case was a secret program, held in locked courtrooms and restricted to Spanish-speaking illegal immigrants, that allowed participants to resolve charges without them ever appearing on public court dockets.
(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
When newly elected District Attorney Xavier Solis took office in January 2025, he ended the program immediately. Solis then turned over all requested records to Mathewson—records that Graveley had long refused to release.
Although Solis was named in the legal action after taking office, court records clarify that he was only substituted as a respondent in his official capacity and played no role in the original denial of records. In fact, Solis’s actions resolved the core issues of the lawsuit. The settlement included just $1 in damages and reimbursement of Mathewson’s legal fees, underscoring the lawsuit’s purpose: transparency, not personal gain.
Mathewson’s case filings detail how Graveley refused to provide written denials, instead attempting to justify his actions through phone calls—one of which he admitted the program was only for Spanish-speaking illegal immigrants. Graveley also reportedly acknowledged withholding written records to discourage future requests.
In one such case, Graveley had issued a DPA to a woman previously convicted of first-offense OWI with a BAC of 0.186 and later referred for possible felony drug charges. That agreement was also withheld until the lawsuit compelled its release.
Mathewson cited more than 30 other Wisconsin counties that routinely release such agreements and do not operate secretive courtroom sessions.
(Facebook.com)
While the case has now been settled, tensions remain in the courthouse. According to multiple sources, Judge Chad Kerkman (D) was infuriated by Solis’s decision to end the illegal immigrant court program and allegedly threatened to force the DA’s Office to send prosecutors to routine traffic court as retaliation—a move critics say is an overreach of judicial authority intended to pressure Solis into reinstating the program.
Solis has remained firm, refusing to restore the now-terminated policy. He has not publicly commented on the alleged judicial pressure but reiterated his commitment to open, equal, and legal prosecutorial practices.
(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
This marks the third time Mathewson has successfully sued the Kenosha County District Attorney’s Office for failing to comply with Wisconsin’s open records laws. Unlike previous administrations, Solis resolved the matter without prolonged litigation and without contesting the principle that the public is entitled to transparency.
“This case wasn’t about money,” said Mathewson. “It was about making sure secret programs with questionable legality don’t operate behind locked doors in Kenosha County.”
The exposure of this courtroom scheme, its subsequent dismantling, and the pushback from within the courthouse are raising serious questions about past practices in the DA’s Office—and the resistance to reform that persists even after a change in leadership.
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10 Responses
Make tar and feathering great again
Congratulations to Kevin for real journalism and to DA Solis for protecting the productive citizen public. Both Gravely, Kerkman and their acolyte network of karens and betas are abominations to everything truly American.
Congrats to both of u…
Bravo and Congratulations!!!! Thank you for the outstanding work you do for Kenosha County.
We acknowledge and congratulate you on your recent victory. We would like to address a matter of significant concern: What action will be taken regarding the former District Attorney and the defense attorney who entered into an obscure agreement that appeared to favor undocumented individuals by utilizing courthouse facilities and resources to handle criminal cases as part of a secret program? Will there be an investigation into why Attorney Cabrane’s office manager was providing translation services for the District Attorney’s office, even in cases where Attorney Cabranes served as defense counsel? Furthermore, why was this arrangement not extended to U.S. citizens? It is our understanding that Mr. Solis has discontinued this secret and irregular program. Hopefully he will formally report the existence of this program and the parties involved to the Attorney General for further investigation.
.. time to start recruiting for Chads replacement.
He’s up for reelection in the spring of 2027.
Barely 18 months away for campaigning.
Come on Kenosha !!
We must be able to do Better !!
The tide is turning. We need to be part of this change.
It is difficult to believe that Judge Kerkman supports the secret program. While presiding over criminal cases, he has previously imposed jail sentences for operating a vehicle without a driver’s license on a second or subsequent offense, expressly stating, “You are a guest in our country, and you are not behaving like a good guest.” Perhaps Judge Kerkman is now requesting the presence of an ADA in order to achieve the level of transparency that this venue previously lacked as a result of the Graveley Cabranes secret agreements.
The Department of Homeland security should be investigating this court for these violations. That judge should be in jail like Dugan.
Can we get some clarification?
The DA’s office here and probably most in the state have some form of a traffic diversion program to encourage unlicensed drivers to get licensed. This has been going on openly for two or three decades. Basically, if someone who doesn’t have a license or theirs was revoked or suspended, they are given time, if needed, to get a valid license and then the charge is amended to no license on person, a minor traffic offense with no points. The idea is that it’s better to have licensed and insured drivers on the road as the unlicensed usually keep driving.
Also, the courthouse folks know that there are occasional confidential “deals” where a traffic charge may be held open or dismissed for someone working as an informant. Not a lot but not publicized for obvious reasons.
Is the program described in the article one of those or something else?
Out with kerkman!!!! Out with kerkman!!!!!! Out with Kerkman!!! AND all his little corrupt buddies!!!