Rick Patrick
rick@greenepublishing.com
Former Madison County attorney, Ernest Maloney “Ernie” Page, IV, finally learned his fate on Tuesday, Sept. 6, when he was sentenced to serve six months in prison, followed by a period of 18 months of supervised release. This sentence was handed down by Judge Marcia Morales Howard, United States District Judge for the Middle District of Florida, in Jacksonville. Page was sentenced for his part in a bribery scheme that involved securing a discounted price for a tractor in exchange for a reduced sentence in a drunk driving case. Page was convicted of “Conspiracy to commit bribery concerning a program receiving federal funds.”
In September of 2017, while Page was working in the State's Attorney's office, Page helped facilitate a bribe for an individual known in the court records as “J.S.” that involved a $20,000 discount on a tractor. It was alleged that this bribe was in exchange for a light sentence for an individual associated with the tractor dealership who was involved in a drunk driving case. At the time, Jeffrey Siegmeister, was the State Attorney for the Third Judicial Circuit. Siegmeister has pleaded guilty to several counts of fraud and corruption and is awaiting sentencing in federal court.
In the days prior to Page's sentencing, the prosecution requested a reduction in Page's charges, citing “substantial assistance” in the case. In his sentencing, the Court recommended that Page serve his time “in a facility as close as possible to Madison, Fla., because that is where [Page's] family resides.” The court record further states that, “[Page] shall surrender for service of his sentence at the institution designated by the Bureau of Prisons before 2 p.m. on [Thursday], Jan. 5, 2023.”
Once Page is released from imprisonment, he will be on supervised release for a term of 18 months. Among the mandatory conditions of this release are:
• [Page] must not commit another federal, state or local crime.
• [Page] must not unlawfully possess a controlled substance.
• [He] must refrain from any unlawful use of a controlled substance. He must submit to one drug test within 15 days of release from imprisonment and at least two periodic drug tests thereafter, as determined by the court. (This drug testing condition is suspended, based on the court's determination that [Page] poses a low risk of future substance abuse.)
• [Page] must cooperate in the collection of DNA as directed by the probation officer.
In addition to punishment from the court, Page has had his law license taken away and is prohibited from practicing law in the State of Florida.