946.61 Bribery of witnesses.
(1) Whoever does any of the following is guilty of a Class H felony:
(a) With intent to induce another to refrain from giving evidence or testifying in any civil or criminal matter before any court, judge, grand jury, magistrate, court commissioner, referee or administrative agency authorized by statute to determine issues of fact, transfers to him or her or on his or her behalf, any property or any pecuniary advantage; or
(b) Accepts any property or any pecuniary advantage, knowing that such property or pecuniary advantage was transferred to him or her or on his or her behalf with intent to induce him or her to refrain from giving evidence or testifying in any civil or criminal matter before any court, judge, grand jury, magistrate, court commissioner, referee, or administrative agency authorized by statute to determine issues of fact.
(2) This section does not apply to a person who is charged with a crime, or any person acting in his or her behalf, who transfers property to which he or she believes the other is legally entitled.
History: 1977 c. 173; 1979 c. 175; 1993 a. 486; 2001 a. 109.
A conviction under this section cannot be sustained if the evidence shows that the defendant only transferred property to induce false testimony. State v. Duda, 60 Wis. 2d 431, 210 N.W.2d 763 (1973).
This section only prohibits paying a person to “refrain" from testifying and does not include influencing testimony. State v. Manthey, 169 Wis. 2d 673, 487 N.W.2d 44 (Ct. App. 1992).
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