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Politics & Government

Judge Charged with Elder Theft Pleads Not Guilty

Paul Seeman will remain on the bench, hearing small claims cases.

An Alameda County Superior Court judge charged with fleecing an elderly neighbor will remain on the bench, although in a different capacity.

Paul Seeman, 57, of Berkeley entered a plea of not guilty Wednesday to one count of elder theft and 11 counts of perjury along with enhancements, the San Francisco Chronicle is reporting. 

According to court records, Seeman obtained power of attorney for Anne Nutting and her husband Lee Nutting, who died in 1999. For 13 years, he allegedly stole from her, selling off her art and other possessions. Prosecutors say he barred her from her home from 1999 to 2007 while she lived in a hotel at the Berkeley Marina. She died in 2010 at the age of 97.

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Seeman was arrested on June 14 at the Wiley Manuel Courthouse in Oakland, and is free on $525,000 bail. He is scheduled to return to court Aug. 7.

In the meantime, he will continue to serve as a judge, albeit in a different capacity. The Chronicle reports that Presiding Judge C. Don Clay reassigned Seeman to small claims court at the Gail-Schenone Hall of Justice in Pleasanton.

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