By Rick Patrick Riverbend News
For former U.S. State Attorney Jeff Siegmeister, the long arm of the law stretched all the way to Flagstaff, Ariz., where he was arrested after a 33-page, 12-count indictment was filed in the U.S. District Court in Jacksonville, Fla., on Wednesday, Feb. 24. The indictment covers eight cases and counts ranging from extortion, to bribery, wire fraud and filing false tax returns. Also named in the indictment was Dixie County attorney, Marion Michael O'Steen.
According to the indictment, Siegmeister was the elected state attorney for the Third Judicial Circuit of Florida, which covers Columbia, Dixie, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison, Suwannee and Taylor Counties. Siegmeister served in that capacity from January of 2013 until December of 2019, when he suddenly resigned, citing "personal matters."
According to a report from WJXT, in Jacksonville, O'Steen appeared in federal court in Jacksonville and pleaded not guilty prior to his release on a $100,000 bond. Also mentioned in the indictment was former Madison County attorney, Ernie Page, IV, who pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge last year and is scheduled to be sentenced in June.
The indictment cites one 2017 case involving both Siegmeister and O'Steen, in which O'Steen was representing a client (Client A) who had been charged with attempted first degree murder, arson, possession of a firebomb and violation of a domestic violence injunction.
The indictment alleges that "Siegmeister would and did request and solicit O'Steen to purchase a bull from Siegmeister's herd of Florida Bradford bulls in exchange for Siegmeister's favorable disposition of criminal charges against O'Steen's clients upon O'Steen's request."
According to the indictment, in November of 2017, O'Steen sent Siegmeister a text message asking for leniency for his client (Client A). The next day, Siegmeister replied with a text message to O'Steen that said, "When are you and … everybody else going to buy one of my registered bulls?" A month later, O'Steen sent Siegmeister a text message with a photograph of an email from Siegmeister's assistant state attorney to O'Steen offering a five-year prison plea deal for O'Steen's Client A. Later that same morning, Siegmeister responded with a text message to O'Steen that read, "I'm driving, but I'll deal with that, I'm going to Lake City now." In April of the following year, O'Steen appeared in court for Client A's case. During the court appearance, Client A pleaded "no contest" to the charges of arson, possession of a firebomb and violation of a domestic violence injunction. Siegmeister and O'Steen negotiated a plea that included the state dismissing the attempted first degree murder charge and resulted in Client A being sentenced to serve 13 months in prison, followed by eight years of probation. Later that same day, Siegmeister sent O'Steen a text message containing four photographs of Siegmeister's bulls.
The indictment illustrates other cases in which O'Steen asked for special treatment for his clients and Siegmeister mentioned his bulls to O'Steen. O'Steen is reported to have told a client, who had been charged with running an illegal gambling house, "I need $75,000 and everything goes away and you pay the money." A few days later, O'Steen sent a message to Siegmeister that said, "Send me deferred pros agreement please." Siegmeister responded with, "I haven't done it yet. You told me you were waiting on your client and Mr. Green. I will do it if we have a deal. I'll call judge [J] and advise it's been sent to [pre-trial intervention] if we have an agreement." Approximately 10 minutes later, Siegmeister sent another message to O'Steen that said, "Does that mean you have your money?" Two days later the client delivered $30,000 to O'Steen. Four days later, O'Steen sent a message to Siegmeister that said, "When will I have pti agreement on [Client]?" O'Steen's client delivered another $30,000 in cash to him a few days later. Later that day, Siegmeister sent O'Steen a message stating, "Should've charged you triple based on your windfall lol." Later that same day, Siegmeister allegedly asked O'Steen to help raise money for the local Republican Party. That same afternoon, Siegmeister sent yet another text message to O'Steen that said, "So. You get what you want and make a mint and I'm persona non grada [sic]." Approximately a week later Siegmeister sold O'Steen and O'Steen's father a bull for $4,000.
The indictment also alleges that, "Beginning in or around July 2017, and continuing through on or about March 12, 2020, in the Middle District of Florida, and elsewhere, defendant, Jeffrey Alan Siegmeister did knowingly and willfully combine, conspire, confederate and agree with [Ernie] Page [IV] and others, both known and unknown to the Grand Jury, to commit certain offenses against the United States, that is bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 666(a)(1)(B)."
The indictment also contains charges stemming from a previously reported case in which Siegmeister allegedly defrauded the estate of Leonard William Thomas of $985,000. The indictment states that, "From an unknown date, but at least from in or about January 2010, continuing through and including in or around April 2016, in the Middle District of Florida and elsewhere, the defendant, Jeffrey Alan Siegmeister, did knowingly and intentionally devise and intend to devise a scheme and artifice to defraud and for obtaining money and property by means of materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations and promises."
Another count listed in the indictment alleges the filing of a false tax return. The indictment states that, "On or about April 17, 2016, in the Middle District of Florida, and elsewhere, the defendant, Jeffrey Alan Siegmeister, did willfully make and subscribe and cause to be made and subscribed, a 2015 U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, IRS Form 1040, which was verified by a written declaration that it was made under penalties of perjury and which he did not believe to be true and correct as to every material matter, that the return was filed with the Internal Revenue Service and reported his total income on Line 22 of Form 1040 as $150,313, whereas, as he then and there well knew and believed his total income was greater than reported."
Should Siegmeister be found guilty of all charges, he then forfeits significant amounts of property and money. This would include cash forfeiture of $727,995.71, in addition to 7,372 shares of Coca-Cola Company common stock and two parcels of land in Suwannee County.
As of this writing, Siegmeister is still being held in the Coconino County Jail, in Flagstaff, Ariz. It is unclear why Siegmeister was in Arizona at the time of his arrest, or exactly when he might be extradited to Florida.