Former school technology manager to plea in software scheme
Photo 
Brandon M. Keirns
JANESVILLE — The former Janesville School District information technology manager suspected of organizing a scheme to profit from district purchases is expected to be in court next week for a plea hearing.
Brandon M. Keirns, 32, Milwaukee, is charged with two felony counts of being a public employee entering into a contract with private interests. State statutes prohibit public employees from arranging contracts for their employer that benefit themselves.
Keirns appeared in Rock County Court on Tuesday. Attorneys on both sides said they were working on a resolution to the case. A plea hearing was scheduled for Tuesday, March 16.
Keirns is accused of buying the district $215,000 worth of computer software from companies he or his friend owned. He is suspected of transferring money the school district paid the companies into his personal bank account and using some money to buy a condo.
Keirns, who was hired in December 2007, resigned in November 2008 after a computer virus crippled school district computers for weeks.
The district has filed a lawsuit against Keirns, accusing him of racketeering and fraud.
The district has asked for a lien against the condo to recover money it lost. It also wants money for damages, attorney fees and the cost of its investigation.
Keirns faces a maximum of three years and six months in prison and a $10,000 fine for each charge.
Keirns remains free on a signature bond.
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By GAZETTE STAFF 05/17/12
Mar 11, 2010 at 12:59 p.m.
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Wow...sure didn't take this guy long to start stealing from the district! Hopefully, they get most of the money back one way or another!
Mar 11, 2010 at 10:20 a.m.
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Did he do what they said he did or didn't he? Plea bargains make that question moot. The defendant accepts the plea bargain to avoid the risk of even worse consequences while the D.A. accepts the plea bargain rather than risk losing altogether. The net effect is that justice is denied either to the defendant or to the people (us). Either an innocent man accepts punishment for a crime he didn't commit or a guilty man escapes the just punishment he deserves. Is it any wonder why people have so little respect for the law?
Mar 11, 2010 at 3:37 a.m.
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SarahB1, 97% of all criminal cases in the United States are concluded with plea bargains. Do you really think that's because prosecutors decided that 97% of all criminals "deserve" it? It's a judgement based on resources (prosecutors, judges and cells), the ability to prove the higher charges, and the risk of acquittal (and no punishment at all) in a trial.
Mar 10, 2010 at 7:31 p.m.
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hmph. One of my first comments here was asking how the server(s) took so long to be fixed by him... and his credentials. Any bets they are still infected but it hasn't been detected yet?
Mar 10, 2010 at 5 p.m.
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I hope the lien is sufficient to cover the district's losses.
Mar 10, 2010 at 4:31 p.m.
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