Alameda County Judge Charged With Elder Theft

SFChronicle ^ | June 14, 2012 | Henry K. Lee

[Steelfish]

Alameda County Judge Charged With Elder Theft

Henry K. Lee

June 14, 2012

BERKELEY -- Alameda County Judge Paul David Seeman may have had good intentions when he offered to help the couple that lived across his Berkeley street - an elderly pair with no family, no friends and a home made uninhabitable by years of hoarding.

But whatever his initial purpose, his actions turned criminal, authorities said Thursday after charging him with elder financial abuse and taking him into custody at the Wiley Manuel Courthouse where he presides in downtown Oakland.

After a two-year investigation, Berkeley police said Seeman, 57, stole thousands of dollars from his neighbor Anne Nutting after her husband died in 1999 at age 90, sold off her art and other possessions, tried to bar her from her own home, and used her garage to store his beloved 1957 Ford Thunderbird.

Seeman befriended Nutting after her husband suffered a fall in 1998, authorities said, and ended up embezzling thousands of dollars from her by 2010, when she died at the age of 97. The two lived on Santa Barbara Road, east of Arlington Avenue in the Berkeley hills.

The Alameda County district attorney charged Seeman with one count of elder theft and 11 counts of perjury, all felonies, as well as enhancements alleging that he stole at least $200,000. He was being held Thursday evening at a downtown Oakland jail in lieu of $525,000 bail.

[POWERSBOOTHEFAN]

Piece of s***.

[No One Special]

Hang ‘em high.

[tpmintx]

It is amazing that this is even getting prosecuted. With the initial victim now gone, who is around to press for justice? I agree “Hang ‘em high” It is important to make examples of those who will steal from the poor.

[WKTimpco]

Alameda is the place where they teach
kindergartners about two daddy penguins,
where Nadia Lockyer takes drugs and cuckolds and
keeps her job in government, and now this.

Leftism is a bizarre world, full of lies, but
as long as their hearts are in the right place....
/s

[vette6387]

“where Nadia Lockyer takes drugs and cuckolds and
keeps her job in government”

I’ll admit that Alameda County is a crap hole, but Nadia has resigned her position as a member of the county board of sups as of 4/20/12.

[Haiku Guy]

I would not assume anything here. It could be that this judge was genuinely helping this woman, and now here heirs are looking for a quick payday.

It is getting to where people can’t form normal relationships and care for one another ouside of official channels. I guess the judge is just supposed to look away from the misery of his neighbor and let some official from the government be in charge of helping out.