Wisconsin State Representative Sylvia Ortiz-Velez was charged Wednesday with disorderly conduct over text messages she sent to fellow Democrat legislators, the Heartland Post has exclusively learned.
Wisconsin State Rep. Sylvia Ortiz-Velez (D-Milwaukee) has been charged with disorderly conduct over text messages she sent to fellow Democrat lawmakers amid a dispute over a Hispanic Heritage Month declaration, The Heartland Post has exclusively learned.
According to the criminal complaint, the dispute arose in August 2025 when Ortiz-Velez believed she had been deliberately excluded from co-drafting resolutions for Hispanic Heritage Month in September.
“Ortiz-Velez was upset about the resolution,” prosecutors note. “She stated that because Witness 1 was moving forward with the resolution, Ortiz-Velez was going to tell the press negative personal information about Witness 1.”
In phone conversations with two other lawmakers, Ortiz-Velez allegedly made further threats to expose personal details.
The complaint alleges that another Democrat Assembly member “stated that on August 29, 2025, Ortiz-Velez called him [and] stated, ‘they are going to do what I want them to do, or I’m going to x, y, and z.’ When Witness 3 asked what x, y, and z were, Ortiz-Velez made comments about Witness 1’s personal life, as well as comments about Witness 1 and other legislators.”
Ortiz-Velez has denied making threats, previously telling the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Wisconsin Right Now that she endured years of “unacceptable, very vicious, vile and cruel” treatment from caucus members and that leadership allowed this to occur.
She did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the charges, and no attorney for her was listed in court records.
