A former criminal defense attorney in Florida has been sentenced to six months in prison for conspiring to bribe a prosecutor, the U.S. Justice Department said in a recent press release.
In addition, U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard sentenced Ernest Maloney Page IV to serve 18 months of supervised release after his prison term.
Court records showed that Page defended a client who was charged with two separate DUIs, the release said. In Live Oak, the client oversaw a tractor dealership. In order to discuss the client's ongoing DUI cases, Page set up a meeting with local prosecutor Jeffrey Siegmeister.
"In August 2017, Siegmeister told Page that he would give favorable treatment to the client for one of his pending DUI cases for a bribe in the form of a $10,000 discount on the tractor, and that he would give favorable treatment to the client on both pending DUI cases for a bribe in the form of a $20,000 discount on the tractor," the release said. "Page relayed this information to his client, who indicated he wished to accept the offer and agreed to provide the $20,000 discount to Siegmeister. Page then told Siegmeister his client had accepted the offer."
The prosecutor then arranged for the client to plead no contest to reckless driving charges, which were traffic misdemeanors.
Siegmeister has pleaded guilty to bribery and extortion, conspiracy to commit extortion, wire fraud, and filing a false tax return, the release said.
“The actions taken by Ernest Page put lives at risk,” FBI Jacksonville Special Agent in Charge Sherri Onks said in the release. “As an officer of the court, he facilitated corruption within the judicial system by offering items of value in exchange for reduced or dropped charges for one of his clients, who was accused of serious crimes that endangered the community. These crimes will not be tolerated by the FBI, and we will continue to work alongside our law enforcement partners to hold individuals in positions of authority within the justice system accountable. We specifically thank the IRS – Criminal Investigation team for their invaluable partnership in the case."
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Special Agent in Charge Brian Payne also commented on the case.
“This action demonstrates our collective efforts to enforce the law and ensure public trust,” he said in the release. “In today’s economic environment, it’s more important than ever that the American people feel confident that everyone is playing by the rules. The IRS is proud to have shared its hallmark expertise with FBI in following the money trail in this and other criminal schemes. IRS Criminal Investigation agents will continue to be on the front lines to fight corruption and tax fraud.”
