Sedition is a Class F felony in Wisconsin. Contact Van Severen Law Office, S.C. at (414) 270-0202 to speak with our Wisconsin criminal defense attorneys.
Sedition charges are incredibly serious, and usually result after planning to or attempting to overthrow state or federal government. Generally speaking, sedition is a Class F felony, and Class F felonies in Wisconsin carry maximum penalties of 12.5 years in prison, $25,000.00 in fines, or both. That 12.5 year prison term breaks down into a maximum of 7.5 years initial confinement and 5 years extended supervision.
Sedition also occurs when an individual allows others to use his property to teach about or train for overthrowing the government. This version of sedition is a Class I felony, punishable by up to 3.5 years prison and $10,000.00 in fines. The 3.5 year prison term associated with Class I felonies breaks down into a maximum of 1.5 years initial confinement and 2 years extended supervision.
No matter the version of the offense you’re facing, any felony is serious. Even a Class I felony, the lowest in Wisconsin, could result in a sentence to prison. And while we don’t know exactly how the media will react to learning of your charges, we’d bet that you’ll receive unwanted attention from that angle, too. Our advice? Do not talk to anyone in the media, and reach out to a top Milwaukee criminal defense attorney for help.
Van Severen Law Office, S.C. is one of Wisconsin’s best criminal defense law firms. We’ve represented hundreds of individuals facing serious, felony-level criminal charges. Plenty of those cases attracted attention from the media. Contact us now at (414) 270-0202. Let’s figure out a time for a free initial consultation.
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Section 946.03 of the Wisconsin Statutes – Sedition
(1)Whoever does any of the following is guilty of a Class F felony:
(a) Attempts the overthrow of the government of the United States or this state by the use or threat of physical violence; or
(b) Is a party to a conspiracy with or a solicitation of another to overthrow the government of the United States or this state by the use or threat of physical violence; or
(c) Advocates or teaches the duty, necessity, desirability or propriety of overthrowing the government of the United States or this state by the use or threat of physical violence with intent that such government be overthrown; or
(d) Organizes or assists in the organization of an assembly with knowledge that the purpose of the assembly is to advocate or teach the duty, necessity, desirability or propriety of overthrowing the government of the United States or this state by the use or threat of physical violence with intent that such government be overthrown.
(2)Whoever permits any premises under his or her care, control or supervision to be used by an assembly with knowledge that the purpose of the assembly is to advocate or teach the duty, necessity, desirability or propriety of overthrowing the government of the United States or this state by the use or threat of physical violence with intent that such government be overthrown or, after learning that the premises are being so used, permits such use to be continued is guilty of a Class I felony.
What’s all in the statute?
Well, let’s start with the things prohibited in this statute:
You cannot attempt to overthrow the government of the United States or Wisconsin by use or threat of physical violence.
You cannot be part of a group (or attempt to get others to join the group) that conspires to overthrow the government with use or threat of physical violence.
You cannot advocate or teach others of the duty, necessity, desirability, or propriety of overthrowing the government by use or threat of physical violence with the intent that the government actually be overthrown.
You cannot advocate or assist in forming a group to teach others of the duty, necessity, desirability, or propriety of overthrowing the government with the intent that such overthrowing actually be done.
(Class I felony) You cannot use your property, or the property you control, to be used to advocate or teach others as prohibited above.
The law prohibits various acts. Obviously, attempting to overthrow the government is one of those things. But teaching classes about overthrowing the government (assuming there’s actually an intent to do so) or organizing classes also qualifies. At the very lowest level, it is sedition to use your property for the classes.
Attempting to overthrow the federal or state government with violence is sedition. But plenty of activities that fall far short of violent revolution qualify as sedition. Contact Van Severen Law Office, S.C. at (414) 270-0202 to speak with our Wisconsin criminal defense attorneys regarding these, or any other, criminal charges.
How do we win my sedition case?
Every criminal case is different, and it’s for that reason answering this question is impossible. But reviewing all of the evidence against you is the first step. Is the government relying on confidential informants? Frequently in these situations they are. Are those informants being paid? Are they also charged but receiving deals to cooperate? Establishing all of this information on the front end is very important and will impact how we defend your case.
Once we’ve established the facts relevant to your case, we’ll evaluate whether filing pre-trial motions is appropriate. For example, did you confess to the whole thing? While that’s certainly not a good move, hopefully the detective on your case screwed up his Miranda warnings so badly we can keep the court from allowing those statements to be used against you. (Frequently motions keeping out your statements is an uphill battle. It’s always – always – a good idea to keep your mouth shut when the cops start asking questions.)
Once we’ve resolved all of the motions relevant to your case, we’ll figure out what’s next. Is it trial? Is it a plea? Every case is different, and every defendant’s expectations and plan is different.
Contact Van Severen Law Office, S.C. regarding any felony criminal charges in Wisconsin.
The Milwaukee criminal defense attorneys at Van Severen Law Office, S.C. represent individuals facing sedition charges throughout Wisconsin. Charges like this are a big deal, and that’s why we don’t think just any attorney should handle a case like this. Our firm dedicates 100% of its staff and resources to criminal defense. We don’t handle civil cases – like divorces, adoptions, or small/large claims cases. We do this because criminal law can be complex, and we think that only a 100% dedication to it allows us to do our jobs at the very highest levels.
Contact us today and let’s figure out how we can work on your case together. (414) 270-0202
