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Sex, barbecue sauce, and corruption: A look back at the most memorable Jacksonville-area political scandals
Read full article: Sex, barbecue sauce, and corruption: A look back at the most memorable Jacksonville-area political scandalsThe JEA scandal rocked the city and two men could face 25 years in federal prison if convicted, but it’s far from the first headline-grabbing politically-connected scandal to hit the Jacksonville area in recent years.
Former state attorney sentenced to more than 3 years in prison
Read full article: Former state attorney sentenced to more than 3 years in prisonFormer state attorney, Jeffrey Siegmeister, received a 40-month prison sentence Monday, for everything from taking bribes to taking advantage of an elderly man and stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from him.
Plea hearing rescheduled for former state attorney accused of taking nearly $1M from estate of dead man
Read full article: Plea hearing rescheduled for former state attorney accused of taking nearly $1M from estate of dead manThe former state attorney for Florida’s Middle District, who’s been indicted on 12 federal charges, appeared in court Thursday for a scheduled plea hearing.
Feds: Former state attorney took bribes, stole more than $600K from elderly man, his estate
Read full article: Feds: Former state attorney took bribes, stole more than $600K from elderly man, his estateAfter 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
Read full article: Feds say former state attorney took bribes, stole more than $600,000 from dead man’s estateAfter 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
Read full article: Former state attorney stole nearly $1M from estate of dead man, feds sayThird 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.