Robert Steuk, a disbarred attorney from Exeter, New Hampshire, who illegally diverted up to a million dollars from the escrow account of a title company he owned into the pockets of himself and his family members, pled guilty on Monday to one count of wire fraud in a Federal courtroom in New Hampshire.
Steuk, 61, was indicted last September on charges that he stole up to $1.3 million from moneys held in escrow at a title company he owned and operated, Warranty Title. According to prosecutors, illicit transfers of from $10,000 to over $100,000 to his own accounts or the accounts of family members were made on at least 19 occasions. Using the misappropriated funds, Steuk allegedly paid himself salaries totaling over $800,000 and his wife Barbara over $500,000 from 2005 until 2007-- at which time Steuk's scheme collapsed, Steuk's law license was yanked by the New Hampshire Supreme Court, and Warranty Title was shuttered. Steuk also allegedly paid his adult children smaller sums out of the illegally obtained funds as salaries.
After his indictment last year, Robert and Barbara Steuk moved to southern Oregon, where they established a boutique food business, Vintner's Kitchen, specializing in producing exotic jams and jellies infused with various kinds of liquor. According to a local retailer who had begun retailing Vintner's Kitchen merchandise for $8.95 per 9 ounce jar, the most popular flavors were blueberry-pinot noir jam with licorice; marionberry jam with port; and garlic, rosemary and chardonnay jelly. Unfortunately for Steuk, he is apparently better at making jam than getting out of a jam.
As part of the plea agreement Steuk admitted to misappropriating a reduced amount of up to $1 million. He claims that he has already repaid a "substantial" portion of the money he stole. He still faces civil litigation from his former underwriter, Chicago Title, which asserts that it has received at least 40 title insurance claims as a result of Steuk's wrongdoing.
Steuk is scheduled to be sentenced September 14th. The maximum sentence for Steuk's crimes is 20 years in prison, but prosecutors agreed to recommend a much lighter sentence because of Steuk's guilty plea.