Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that PETER M. CLARK, 57, of Woodbury, waived his right to indictment and pleaded guilty today in New Haven federal court to one count of mail fraud related to his stealing more than $1.8 million from the estate of an Oxford woman who died in 2010.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Miriam S. Strong of Oxford died on July 2, 2010. At the time of her death, Strong had a will, which left money, property and other items to a list of individuals, the Town of Oxford, the State of Connecticut and several religious and other charitable entities. The will also called for the creation of a scholarship fund for college-bound students from Oxford. CLARK drafted the will as Strong’s attorney and served as a witness to Strong’s execution of the will. The will named CLARK and another individual as co-executors. The investigation has revealed that, during the course of the administration of the will, CLARK took more than $1.8 million from Strong’s estate for his own use.

CLARK was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on May 21, 2015. He is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton on January 13, 2016, at which time he faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years and a maximum fine of more than $3.6 million. CLARK also has agreed to make restitution in the amount of $1,828,986.87.

CLARK is released on a $500,000 bond.

This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Connecticut State Police—Western District Major Crime Squad. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah P. Karwan.