Attorney's Note

Under the Wisconsin Statutes, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
Class H felonyup to 6 yearsup to $10,000
Class A misdemeanorup to 9 monthsup to $10,000
For details, see § 939.50 and § 939.51

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Terms Used In Wisconsin Statutes 946.78

  • Following: when used by way of reference to any statute section, means the section next following that in which the reference is made. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
  • Person: includes all partnerships, associations and bodies politic or corporate. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
  • State: when applied to states of the United States, includes the District of Columbia, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the several territories organized by Congress. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
   (1)    In this section:
      (a)    “Military” means the U.S. armed forces, the state defense force, the national guard of any state, or any other reserve component of the U.S. armed forces.
      (b)    “Tangible benefit” includes financial remuneration, an effect on the outcome of a criminal or civil court proceeding, an effect on an election, and any benefit relating to service in the military that is provided by a federal, state, or local governmental unit or agency.
   (2)   Except as provided in sub. (3), whoever knowingly and with the intent to receive a tangible benefit falsely claims any of the following is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor:
      (a)    That he or she is or was a service member in the military.
      (b)    That he or she has been awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor, a Distinguished Service Cross, a Navy Cross, an Air Force Cross, a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, a Combat Infantryman’s Badge, a Combat Action Badge, a Combat Medical Badge, a Combat Action Ribbon, a Combat Action Medal, or a Special Operations Identifier or Special Qualification or Skill Identifier, as authorized by Congress or pursuant to federal law for the U.S. armed forces.
   (3)   Any person violating sub. (2) with the intent to commit or aid or abet the commission of a crime other than a crime under this section is guilty of a Class H felony.