Complaints allege Minnesota Department of Corrections official lobbied on state time, leaked personnel information

A top Minnesota Department of Corrections official who resigned last week leaked private personnel information and lobbied on state time for a veterans' organization run by her husband, according to investigative documents released Thursday night by the DOC.

The documents accuse former Deputy Commissioner Sarah Walker of disclosing sensitive data that led to an MPR story about the 2018 sexual assault of a senior corrections staffer by a guard.

"Both of these things speak to issues of public trust," said Commissioner Paul Schnell, who initiated the two complaints against Walker in late June after receiving information from external parties. "I was compelled to act."

Walker, who abruptly quit her post last Friday amid an ongoing government probe, has vehemently denied the lobbying claims. She says political foes are unfairly investigating her ties to the Veterans Defense Project, a Minneapolis nonprofit that does legal work for military veterans.

"I did not meet with any legislators or have any communication with legislators regarding the VDP," she wrote in a statement to the Star Tribune. "All of my lobbying responsibilities for the VDP were transferred to another lobbyist prior to my start date at the DOC."

Her husband, attorney Brockton Hunter, is listed as president of the group.

Reached by e-mail Thursday night, Walker declined to address the newly surfaced allegations. "I am relieved to see the specifics of the complaints against me finally made public," she wrote. "I am out of the state with family, attending my father-in-law's memorial service, and look forward to responding upon my return home."

The Minnesota Management and Budget agency confirmed that an outside investigator was retained June 26 to vet all complaints. But Schnell says the investigation was called off shortly after she severed ties with the DOC.

The Walker matter is the latest management headache for Gov. Tim Walz. A leadership shake-up at the Department of Human Services has him searching for a permanent replacement.

According to information gathered from a public records request, forensic evidence taken from Walker's work computer also revealed that, on at least two occasions, she'd edited documents related to a pending VDP bill. The listed author: Brockton Hunter.

And on May 20 — the last day of the legislative session — records show Walker accidentally sent text messages to a DOC colleague outlining the timing of phone calls between Republican leaders.

"Oops meant for [Sarah] Erickson," she wrote, referring to the VDP lobbyist. "trying to save brock's bill."

But in an e-mail interview with the Star Tribune earlier this week, Walker denied that she had met with lawmakers or with officials in the administration of Gov. Tim Walz on behalf of her husband's group.

"I never spoke with the administration about the VDP after I learned of my appointment," she said. The nonprofit unsuccessfully sought $800,000 from the Legislature.

Walker has declined to comment on why she resigned, but maintains that she left of her own volition. She denied that the ongoing investigation prompted her exit.

Another complaint, filed in July, accused Walker of outing a sexual assault victim.

Safia Khan, now the DOC's director of government relations, was groped by a corrections officer while attending a state-sponsored conference on behalf of her former employer in February, 2018. At her request, police reports and charging documents related to the assault were written without identifying information, referring to the victim only as an "advocate."

After her name was disclosed to an MPR reporter, Khan submitted a four-page note to DOC's Human Resources laying out her suspicions that Walker was the source of the leak.

She recounted how Walker peppered her with questions about the incident, including her assailant's name and the location where it happened. Within an hour, she said, a journalist was calling her former employer to comment.

"I decided to go on the record because I was afraid more colleagues would be called…I also did not want my story being used by someone for their own agenda," Khan wrote. " [Walker's] actions have impacted my work and role within the department."

Although Khan's name was redacted in the documents, she was the subject of the MPR story referenced in her letter to HR.

Walker has been a Capitol fixture for years, having worked at two lobbying firms while enmeshed in DFL politics. She made a memorable nominating speech at the 2010 DFL convention in support of the late Rep. Tom Rukavina, who was running for governor.

She left MZA+Co, which represents clients such as the Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce, to lead the DOC's community services division — at the encouragement of First Lady Gwen Walz.

Before that, she was with top GOP lobbyist Todd Hill, who represents blue-chip clients from the tobacco and hospitality industries, and MillerCoors the beer company, among others, according to lobbying records.

Walker developed a reputation as an advocate for criminal justice reform, representing the Second Chance Coalition and the Coalition for Impartial Justice.

But she raised eyebrows among progressive activists because while on the Sentencing Guidelines Commission — a state body that sets rules that judges must apply in felony sentencing — she was also representing a private prison company now known as CoreCivic. Private prisons are opposed by public unions, as well as activists seeking to reduce the prison population and lengthy sentences.

According to public records, Walker never filed financial disclosure documents after her appointment as deputy commissioner, as required by Minnesota law.

Jeff Sigurdson, executive director of the Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board, said officials have reached out to Walker because even though she resigned, she is still required to file.

Hours after Walker's departure last week, state Rep. Marion O'Neill, R-Maple Lake, filed a formal request for information regarding Walker's timecards, calendar entries and electronic correspondence since her appointment in January.

On Thursday night, O'Neill released a statement saying the documents "directly contradict" Walker's claims that she hadn't lobbied on behalf of her husband's group. "In addition, she may have violated state law by releasing non-public personnel data, re-victimizing a survivor of sexual assault in the process," O'Neill wrote. "I urge the Walz administration to review the investigative data and take appropriate action ...."

O'Neill had also pursued payroll data. But timesheets released Thursday show Walker worked continuously through her six-month tenure with minimal vacation days.

In her resignation letter, Walker indicated a desire to return to advocacy work: "In my short time as Deputy Commissioner, I have become convinced that my voice and skills are best suited for pushing for widespread reform from the outside."