Siegmeister to plead guilty

According to court documents filed in the United States District Court Middle District of Florida, Jacksonville Division, Jeff Siegmeister intends to plead guilty when his bribery and fraud trial begins. Siegmeister served as the 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.” Siegmeister was indicted in February of 2021 on 11 counts, ranging from extortion to bribery, wire fraud, and filing false tax returns; following his arrest in Arizona. After his arrest, an Arizona judge determined Siegmeister to be a flight risk. Also named in the indictment was Dixie County attorney, Marion Michael O'Steen, Siegmeister's co-defendant. In addition to sizable monetary forfeiture, Siegmeister could face over a century in prison, upon conviction. During a telephone conference on Monday, Jan. 24, it was stated that Siegmeister intends to enter a guilty plea. Attorneys for O'Steen made a motion to continue the trial, to which the government had no objection. The new term for the trial, which is expected to last seven days, begins on Monday, March 7, in Jacksonville. Siegmeister and O'Steen are joined for trial, so both will be tried at the same time.