OXFORD — A Woodbury attorney was sentenced to 45 months in prison for stealing $1.8 million from the estate of Oxford woman.
The money in Miriam Strong’s estate was meant to be a gift for the town of Oxford, and were meant to fund a new library, among other things.
Federal authorities said Peter Clark, 57 of Woodbury, who was the lawyer for Strong’s estate, stole the money for his own use. He was arrested in May 2015, and pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud in October. He faced a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, but was only sentenced to 3 years and 9 months.
Prosecutors said at the time of her death that Strong had a will which left money and property to individuals, the town of Oxford, the state of Connecticut, and several religious and other charities. In addition, she left instructions to create a scholarship fund for college-bound students from Oxford.
“This is not the way Miriam would’ve wanted things to happen,” said First Selectman George Temple. “This was all to benefit the citizens of Oxford — which is — if you knew Miriam, that was her first love.”
Officials said as Strong’s attorney, Clark drafted the will and served as a witness. He and another person were co-executors.
