Former State Attorney enters guilty plea in bribery, extortion and fraud scheme

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - Court records show former North Florida State Attorney Jeff Siegmeister entered a guilty plea Tuesday in Jacksonville’s federal court.

Federal court records show Siegmeister entered a guilty plea to charges of conspiracy, extortion, wire fraud and filing false tax returns. The remaining six charges against him were dropped.

Federal court records say Siegmeister could face a maximum sentence of 48 years in prison and up to $1 million in fines.

Siegmeister pleaded guilty to conspiring with a defense attorney to reduce charges against his clients in exchange for thousands of dollars in bribes and the purchase of one of Siegmeister’s bulls, according to the court records.

Court records also show Siegmeister pleaded guilty to siphoning hundreds of thousands of dollars in money and stocks from an elderly man for whom he’d been court-appointed to serve as a guardian.

Siegmeister will remain in custody until sentencing. That date has not yet been set.