Gardner officially reprimanded by state’s highest court, ordered to pay $750 fine after admitting wrongdoing in ethics investigation

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOV) - Tuesday, St. Louis City Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner was ordered to pay a fine for her handling of the criminal case against former Gov. Eric Grietens.

In April, Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner appeared before the Missouri Office of Disciplinary Counsel, which oversees attorney’s bar licenses, in a St. Louis County courthouse for claims of prosecutorial misconduct. She was accused in a 73-page report of failing to disclose evidence to Greitens’ lawyers, misrepresenting evidence, and other ethical violations. Gardner hired William Tisaby as a private investigator for the case. Tisaby, who has since pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for tampering with evidence in the case, interviewed a woman at the center of the Greitens case. Greitens was accused of knowingly taking a photograph of a woman in a “state of full or partial nudity without the knowledge and consent”.

Both sides accepted to reprimand, which is a formal acknowledgment that will go on Gardner’s license forever. According to documents, Chief Justice Paul Wilson ordered Gardner to pay a fine of $750.

In a tweet Tuesday, Gardner said she’s “pleased that our state’s highest court and disciplinary counsel has recognized that the ethics disciplinary process should not be weaponized for political gain. I look forward to continuing the critical work of creating a safer, fairer, and just St. Louis.”

READ: Gardner admits wrongdoing in an ethics investigation

In April, Gardner answered questions from the panel where she stated the video in question did not properly work when her office first went to watch it, which is why she said it was not included in the discovery. She told the panel she did not include it because she couldn’t disclose something that didn’t work. Gardner then said her office took another look at the video to see if it could be played. She stated nothing prompted them to watch it again and that it was something they do “all the time.”

“It ended up working and we did our diligence to turn it over immediately,” she told the panel. Gardner stressed to the panel the case was compressed and things were happening very fast. She said there was a scheduled order that outlined a time for things to be turned over, but there were hearings “every day” and the fast-paced schedule is why the notes were not turned over. Gardner called it a “mistake on my part.”

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