Accused Of Bilking Elderly Client, Man Withdraws Guilty Plea
February 14, 2015 by Konstantine Fekos, The Meadville Tribune, Pa.
Feb. 14–A former financial adviser accused of stealing money from an elderly Meadville woman withdrew his guilty plea Friday morning before Crawford County Court of Common Pleas President Judge Anthony Vardaro.
David E.A. Seagren, 70, originally pleaded guilty in November last year, facing up to 62 years in prison and $140,000 in fines on six counts of theft by deception and two counts of forgery in a plea agreement with the Crawford County District Attorney’s Office.
Meadville police charged him with taking tens of thousands of dollars from a 97-year-old woman’s bank accounts and using the money on himself.
He verbally asked to withdraw the guilty plea prior to his sentencing in early January.
Vardaro asked Seagren on Friday if he understood that going to trial would mean facing the original 52 charges — 22 counts of theft by deception, 22 counts of theft by unlawful taking and eight counts of forgery.
Vardaro also told Seagren there will be “no more plea agreements” or positive recommendations from the District Attorney’s Office from this point on.
Seagren responded with “I understand” to the terms of his plea withdrawal.
Vardaro expects Seagren to go to trial in early or mid-March, although no specific date was scheduled.
Seagren will continue to be represented by his defense attorney, Michael Antkowiak, who previously planned to withdraw as Seagren’s attorney in light of the plea change.
Antkowiak told the court Friday that he agreed to continue representing Seagren after Seagren was denied representation and, a subsequent appeal to overturn that denial, by the county public defender’s office.
Seagren had been the woman’s insurance agent and financial adviser, according to the arrest affidavit Meadville police filed in the case.
Police allege Seagren took money from the woman between February 2011 and December 2013 by writing checks to himself from a checking account the woman had at First United National Bank and another checking account the woman had at PNC Bank.
The charges were filed by Meadville police after Seagren’s now-former business partner in Franklin found copies of checks written to Seagren from the woman’s accounts in excess of $120,000, according to the arrest affidavit.
In January 2014, the business partner contacted an attorney claiming the payments to Seagren weren’t authorized by the woman, the affidavit said. The attorney then contacted police.
In an interview with police, the woman said Seagren has been her financial adviser for 30 years, but that she never gave Seagren permission to sign anything and never agreed to pay him any sum of money, according to the affidavit.
Seagren remains free on $25,000 bond.
Konstantine Fekos can be reached at 724-6370 or by email at kfekos@meadvilletribune.com.
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