[media-credit name=’BRYAN FAUST/Herald Photo’ align=’alignright’ width=’336′][/media-credit]A Milwaukee area attorney filed a complaint Friday charging Wisconsin 3rd Congressional District candidate Tom Nelson and former University of Wisconsin-River Falls student Joey White with campaign fraud.

According to the report filed by Attorney Michael Maistelman, Nelson and White — Nelson's campaign director — inappropriately used university property and computers in their campaign efforts against incumbent Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis.

At the time of the activities in question, White was serving as chair of the UW-River Falls College Republicans.

White denies any wrongdoing, however, and said he did not illegally use state resources for political purposes.

"I was simply volunteering in my role as a College Republican and that's it," White said, adding his two positions as campaign director and CR chair were not concurrent.

According to White, he entered data into a database for Nelson, but did not fundraise in any way, and therefore did not violate state statutes.

However, the report issued by Maistelman includes an e-mail sent by White to the College Republicans' list-serv group in which White promoted a conference and said Nelson would pay any needed expenses.

White said that if any statutes were violated, he would stand up and take the blame.

"Paul Nelson didn't know we were using the university resources," White said. "[It] would be my responsibility if there was any wrongdoing."

When asked whether he knew he would become campaign director at the time he was serving as CR chair, White said he did not remember.

Though Rep. Kind has not been linked with the complaint, adversaries suggest he held a part in the allegations.

"I believe he is [connected] because Ron Kind has a history of not wanting to debate any of his opponents," 3rd District Republican Party Chair Gary Arneson said, "and now he apparently wants to short-circuit his opponent's campaign."

Skeptics also questioned Kind's suspicious timing, as complaints have recently surfaced challenging campaign donations from out-of-state Native American tribes.

"I just find it somewhat ironic that just a few days after a press release went out exposing the out-of-state funds … this [complaint] is released," White said. "I think it is somewhat coincidental."

Kind's campaign office did not return calls as of press time.

Former 3rd District Democratic Party Chair Karen Maidana Dahl, however, said that the ethical lapse of judgment belongs to the Nelson campaign.

"Gary Arneson obviously doesn't understand what ethics is," Dahl said. "It is absolutely against the law to do any type of misuse of state facilities and services. They wouldn't know ethics if it was staring them in their eyes."

Dahl added the appearance of unethical activity is as serious as the real thing, charging Nelson and White's actions may not have breached the "letter of the law" but did violate the "spirit of the law."

"What they do is they spend a long time smearing other people," Dahl said, referring to the alleged Republican efforts to undermine Democrats.

Maistelman's complaint came after the Republican Party of Wisconsin charged the Pierce County Democratic Party and the UW-River Falls College Democrats with misusing the university's e-mail list.

In response to the complaint, Maistelman said Nelson and White instead used the university's e-mail list inappropriately.

As each party continues to defend its actions, the state Elections Board is awaiting a response from the Nelson campaign, after which it will issue a decision.

2/2/06: Due to a reporting error, this article should have stated Mr. Nelson’s first name as Paul.