Woman gives false statement under oath

A woman from Marshall, Wisconsin, was sentenced to five years of probation for making a false statement under oath in connection with a bankruptcy proceeding.

Martha J. Graves, 59, failed to disclose and concealed her husband’s ownership of a portion of an island in Canada and her joint ownership of a home in Jackson County, Wisconsin, among other things.

Graves pleaded guilty to charges in November 2015. She was sentenced to probation on January 15, 2016 and was ordered to pay nearly $190,000 restitution to creditors in the bankruptcy.

Graves’s ex-husband, Paul Graves, was also sentenced in 2015. He faces five years of probation with six months home confinement for making false statements under oath in connection with the same bankruptcy proceeding.  He was also ordered to pay restitution to creditors in the bankruptcy. 

Paul and Martha Graves owned and operated Mauston Home Center, LLC, a hardware business in Mauston, Wisconsin.  Both personally owed in excess of $500,000 in debts to creditors of the business. 

The Graves filed a petition for personal bankruptcy in 2010, and failed to fully disclose assets. 

The charge against Martha Graves was the result of an investigation conducted by the U.S. Bankruptcy Trustee’s Office and the FBI.