KENOSHA, Wis. — Former Kenosha County Sheriff’s Deputy and former Kenosha Police Officer Michael A. Rizzo has hired legal counsel to demand changes to a Kenosha County Eye article detailing his disciplinary record and misconduct across multiple law enforcement agencies. Rizzo resigned in lieu of termination after investigators found he violated an active Arizona order of protection that had been issued against him.
The letter, sent on November 7, 2025, accused KCE of defamation and insisted the publication remove the article entirely or substantially alter it and threatened potential legal action if those demands were not met. The attorney did not dispute that the order existed, that it was in effect when the article was published, or that Rizzo was the subject of a police investigation and internal affairs probe tied to alleged violations of that order.
According to her sworn petition in Chandler Municipal Court, Rizzo’s former fiancée told the court he repeatedly contacted her after their relationship ended—calling, texting, and appearing uninvited at her residence. She said he knocked on her door late at night, parked nearby to watch the house, and confronted her at the gym where she exercised. On one occasion, she alleged, he entered her property without permission and refused to leave when asked. She told the court that these encounters left her and her young daughter fearful and anxious, prompting her to seek protection.
Among her allegations:
- Suicide Threat: “You Make Me Want to Blow My Brains Out”
After the relationship ended and he was asked to move out, he allegedly stated she made him want to “blow his brains out”, leading her to contact his family for mental health support; described as “mentally unstable and unpredictable” with extreme emotional highs/lows when angry or depressed (January 6, 2024). - Emotional Abuse in Front of Her 12-Year-Old Child
Over 1.5 years, he allegedly engaged in “narcissistic and emotional abuse,” including screaming and swearing at her in front of her 12-year-old daughter (not his child); this behavior prompted weekly therapy for her due to physical health impacts and counseling for the child. - Doorbell Cam Catches 5-Minute Knocking Frenzy + 5 Calls
Ring camera evidence shows him arriving unannounced at her front door, knocking for ~5 minutes, calling her cell phone 5 times, checking her parking spot for her car, then knocking again until she answered—all to retrieve a package delivered to her address; he refused to return her mail key or forward his mail elsewhere, despite not residing there since January 2024 (April 11, 2024).
The judge found reasonable cause that domestic-violence conduct had occurred and issued a two-year no-contact order prohibiting Rizzo from contacting or approaching either of them.
A few months later, while the order was still in effect, Rizzo mailed two birthday cards to the woman’s home and called her phone on the morning of her birthday. Phoenix Police Department records (Case No. 2024-01149193) show that detectives confirmed the order was in effect, documented her complaint, and referred the case to the City of Phoenix Prosecutor’s Office for potential charges. At the same time, the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office opened an internal affairs investigation into Rizzo’s conduct while he was serving as a deputy.
During that internal interview, according to Sheriff’s Office records, Rizzo acknowledged contacting his former fiancée despite the order and admitted sending mail from Wisconsin to her Arizona address. Investigators noted that his statements about the phone call were conflicting and deceptive, with Rizzo first claiming the call was an “accidental misdial” but later admitting he allowed the phone to ring to voicemail before hanging up. The internal investigation concluded that his conduct violated departmental standards and reflected poorly on the agency. Rizzo was placed on paid administrative leave and resigned in lieu of termination from the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office on August 28, 2024.
Before joining the Sheriff’s Office, Rizzo’s Kenosha Police Department file showed a record of disciplinary problems. In 2020, he received a written reprimand for sending a disrespectful email to a dispatcher in which he called the supervisor an “asshole,” and for posting inappropriate material on social media that supervisors said undermined the department’s image. In 2021, he was reprimanded again after initiating an unauthorized, high-speed pursuit in an unmarked squad car that reached nearly 90 miles per hour in a 30-mile-per-hour zone and included running a red light. Internal investigators determined that the chase violated departmental policy and endangered the public.
Rizzo was first hired by the Kenosha Police Department on April 29, 2019, and resigned on August 13, 2022 to join the Phoenix Police Department. He returned to Wisconsin and was rehired by KPD on January 18, 2023, before resigning again on August 10, 2023.
Between his 2023 resignation and the spring of 2024, Rizzo attempted to return to the Kenosha Police Department, but the agency declined to rehire him for the third time. Despite that, Sheriff David W. Zoerner hired Rizzo to the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office in April 2024—the same month the Arizona court issued and served the order of protection. The decision drew criticism after it became public that Rizzo had been hired while under an active court order in another state.
Court records show that the Chandler Municipal Court later dismissed the order of protection on July 7, 2025. The dismissal was entered “on motion of petitioner,” meaning the woman who originally sought protection asked the court to terminate the order. The court did not issue any finding that her earlier allegations were false; it simply granted her request to end the no-contact restrictions.
KCE Editor Kevin Mathewson said he will not take down or alter accurate reporting because of legal pressure.
“He hired a lawyer to try to strong-arm me into taking down a story I wrote about him, and it’s not going to happen. I’ve dealt with this law firm before when they represented a client who sued me for defamation — that case ended with their client writing me a sizeable check in the thousands. I’ve never backed down to threats, and I’m not going to start now.”
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68 Responses
Rizzo, sit down and think about the dumb paper trail you got. If You mad at anyone it should be yourself. Sit down somewhere……Witcho goofy ass
Exactly. The Pierangeli-Rizzo family is filled with people who believe the rules and laws do not apply to them. Rizzo’s brother, Matt Rizzo, is prez of St. Joe’s and is running that school into the ground. The dad, Tom Rizzo, acts like he raised model Catholic citizens. The only thing daddy did was raise brats who think daddy will bail them out and that no one will hold them accountable. Leah Rizzo, Matt’s wife, even wrote a letter to the judge for leniency on Ajay Pierangeli case. It was all covered by KCE. It does not take much to piece this puzzle together.
I remember the Pierangeli case. That was horrible. Two people died because of his choices.
How did he ever pass a background check?
It appears he didn’t, sometimes background checks aren’t run because the people already know what they would find so they play a game of, “we didn’t know that because we didn’t look for it”.
Rizzo is not very smart to hire a lawyer to go against KCE. The story is old. Now, it is new again. I wonder who is advising him…
Totally. Who is the lawyer?
Another poor decision by Zoerner to hire this clown long after he proved himself unfit for law enforcement. Are local departments really that hard up for officers/deputies?
Quits moves gets rehired quits and wants to get rehired. He must be a super cop
He is a Rizzo, makes sense. So sad. Karma is a bitch. I’ll leave my name so some of you can understand the shit storm that you have conjured! Good Luck.
yup every rizzo in kenosha is crazy
Not very bright to lawyer up against KCE. The story was old and now it is back in everyone’s face.
Wasn’t there a clown on Bozo circus named (rizzo the wizard) 😢😅
No idiot it was whizzo
>>No idiot it was whizzo<<
LOL
Chill yo
The great Marshall Brodien , those that knew him on the Chain O Lakes “ The Whiz”
I believe his son is doing magic also. He was quite the entertainer. The Bozo Show brings back the memories.
I see another legal beat down coming for the firm of Waste and Dumb!
These hacks drive all the way from Baraboo to take legal beatings in Kenosha.
Culat’s heirs should have made you hacks write the last check to KM.
By the way;
White dudes in their 50s don’t look cool with earrings. If Indiana Jones looks like a tool with a diamond stud, you certainly do Opey.
Oh please, let’s see you stay in that shape at 50, Mr or Mrs fashion
It’s called ‘roid rage for a reason. As in steroids and HGH.
Really? He actually looks calm while other people are the ones raging in his face about God knows what
Did you even read the story? Tell his ex that you moron.
Oh, so you’re one of those believe all women folks, huh?
They prey on the weak and desperate, Barraboo, Wi is the home of Circus world, what would you expect.
Cops are assholes.
*yawn* nice troll attempt.
correct and they hire each other
Yes, a cop has to hire a cop. You’re so smart!!
Can anyone see the narcissist in this guy, this dude should of never been hired into law enforcement if you can’t abide by the law then you shouldn’t be the one to help enforce it, I’m sure he isn’t the only one that was or is roaming around in a squad car. most officers egos are inflated for no reason to be a cop means your to dumb to steal and to lazy to work.
They are definitely scraping the bottom of the barrel for cops in Kenosha county.
Jump in and apply. No one is lining up so they got to work with who they can get.
Retired and enjoying life!
Then stfu, if you can’t be part of the solution, be quiet. Real easy to sit back and make statments about someone else’s work when you have no ability or desire to help.
Eat shit loser. Just like that piece of shit cop. I am my own solution. FAFO.
I don’t need anybody’s help.
You are really quick to lose your composure when someone challenges you. That is typical of a low-functioning individual. Before you retired, you must have had a low status, menial job.
Hardly. I ran my own business. How about you loser.
More evidence that you are low functioning. Was it a paper route?
You are old and fat and likely unhealthy. STFU.
I’m 6 foot 175lbs. And would surely kick the shit out of you bitch.
Yes, this comment proves that you are low functioning.
You should stop leaving comments. The whole world is learning about your cognitive limitations.
lol, no one is afraid of you “HJ”, to back to being a lazy turd.
Hj or hand job sounds like a keyboard warrior
Learn how to write moron. It’s all gibberish.
Not afraid huh? I have 2 words for you. Muay Thai.
Wait….so you think elderly people aren’t allowed an opinion because they are not applying to be a cop to be “the solution”?
Oh this sounds like the haywood hater! She changed from “anonymous” because she was being called out! Everyone recognized her ranting and raving about him so she trying a different approach. You are So transparent!
And you are incredibly dense. You couldn’t be farther away from hitting the mark.
That’s not very nice to call people names
I have been meaning to ask you. . .
Are you one of the old men in Heywood’s circle jerk?
100%
Clown show
Kenosha.
Nothing says I love you more than a restraining order. Good luck Mike!
Seems like KCE keeps delivering uncomfortable truth to some of Kenosha’s self perceived ‘elites’ who have not yet realized the more they deflect and protest the further their reputations slide further into the cesspool.
More Kenosha Italian SCUM! The Italian population of Kenosha are some of the snobbiest people around. Wonder if this clown is related to Bruno Rizzo, he should have in-house legal representation readily available to him.
lol you sound jealous.
Ah, you *noticed* that we don’t wear baseball hats 24 hours a day, or drive 20 mph over the speed limit in fat-tired pickups with Folger-can exhausts, or tolerate lowlifes trashing our neighborhoods.
Good, then. Keep noticing.
Public corruption in Maricopa County and Pinal County Arizona is off the charts horrifying and pathetic! The DAs, the Judges and the County Attorneys stick together to cover up major crimes and gross misconduct committed by their fellow Government Workers including recruiting dangerous criminals who they release from their Jails to help them in their Government Cover Up Operations and even murdering off witnesses as part of their Government Cover Up Operations. The Arizona BAR Association and the Arizona Judiciary Commission covers up crimes committed by their members.
The Arizona Governor Appointed corrupt Judges into Office who are involved in Court Case Rigging to cover up crimes committed by their Government Workers, racketeering to commit extortion, and taking bribes from their Court Appointed Government Contractors.
Good for you! Definitely keep your article online for Tax Payers to read the truth about corrupt Government Workers. Part of Government Corruption and their Government Cover Up Operations is these criminals holding Government Jobs are illegally using our Tax Dollars and our Government Resources to Cover Up their crimes which all TAX PAYERS have a legal right to know the truth about what really goes on in our Government
Should definitely not be a law enforcement officer.
Keep going Kevin. We appreciate you.
It’s always the hot ones 😒
He’s so fine
So much hotter in person. But also a compulsive liar. It all now clicks that he was just insanely obsessed over his ex when we were talking.
He sounds just as crazy as can be! Sounds like you dodged a bullet!
Oh most definitely. I knew something was off but wasn’t sure what…Nothing about him made any sense. Lies and contradictions galore.