Gov. Eric Greitens

Gov. Eric Greitens, R, has been charged with another felony – this time for tampering with computer data. St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner has charged Greitens in response to taking a donor list from the governor’s former charity – The Mission Continues – allegedly without the proper permission of charity officials. That list was used for campaign fundraising purposes. Gardner has filed the charge against Greitens with two possible ways of potentially convicting him.

A law limiting how long legal action can be taken after a potential crime is committed made today the last day that Gardner, a former Democratic State Representative, could file charges. The statute of limitations for such charges is three years.

Earlier this week, Attorney General Josh Hawley, a Republican, turned over evidence of his investigation into the donor list to Gardner that he said “would rise to the level of probable cause”. He said the deadline to file charges was quickly approaching.

“The Office stands ready to assist the Circuit Attorney’s Office where appropriate and if needed. These are serious charges—and an important reminder that no one is above the law in Missouri. Like all criminal defendants, Governor Greitens is presumed innocent under the law until proven guilty,” Hawley says in a press release.

St. Louis City Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner

Greitens’ lawyers responded to Hawley’s announcement earlier this week by calling the claim “frivolous” and “inappropriate.”

Last year, Greitens paid a $100 penalty to the Missouri Ethics Commission after admitting he received the donor list.

A court date has not been scheduled.

To see the corresponding documents with the charges, click here.