Feds: Former state attorney took bribes, stole more than $600K from elderly man, his estate
After Siegmeister’s resignation, his Gainesville-based lawyer said his marriage had just ended and that he was working through a personal matter. Siegmeister is accused of soliciting and accepting bribes in return for the “favorable disposition” of criminal cases. AdMarion Michael O’Steen, an attorney from Dixie County, who had clients prosecuted by Siegmeister’s office, was also indicted. Five weeks later, Thomas signed his will, in which his entire estate was bequeathed to Siegmeister’s mother. O’Steen appeared in federal court in Jacksonville and pleaded not guilty before being released on $100,000 bond.
Feds say former state attorney took bribes, stole more than $600,000 from dead man’s estate
After his resignation, Siegmeister’s Gainesville-based lawyer said his marriage had just ended and he was working through a personal matter. Siegmeister is accused of soliciting and accepting bribes in return for the “favorable disposition” of criminal cases. AdMarion Michael O’Steen, an attorney from Dixie County, who had clients prosecuted by Siegmeister’s office, was also indicted. Federal prosecutors say Siegmeister was arrested today in Arizona, and will make his initial appearance in court Monday in Flagstaff, AZ. O’Steen appeared in federal court in Jacksonville and pleaded not guilty, before being released on $100,000 bond.
Former state attorney stole nearly $1M from estate of dead man, feds say
Third Judicial Circuit State Attorney Jeff Siegmeister, whose district includes Columbia County, resigned unexpectedly last December. Now, it turns out, according to a recently filed federal forfeiture complaint, the FBI has been investigating Siegmeister and his mother for stealing $985,000 in assets from the estate of a man who died in 2015. That man was 80-year-old Leonard Thomas, who was a transient living in a motel in Lake City in 2010. In 2015, a probate court ordered Siegmeister to file reports detailing how money was spent on behalf of Thomas. The federal complaint details numerous expenditures listed in the reports which the FBI said were either fictitious or over-reported.