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A disbarred New Hampshire attorney who became a Southern Oregon jelly and jam maker was ordered to repay $1 million stolen from his clients' real-estate loans and sentenced to almost 31/2; years in federal prison. Robert Steuk, 62, who owns and operates Vintner's Kitchen in Talent with his family, pleaded guilty to a single count of wire fraud in June. A New Hampshire District Court judge on Wednesday sentenced Steuk this week to 41 months in federal prison, and placed him on three years of supervised probation following his release, court records show. Steuk also was ordered to pay restitution of almost $1 million as part of a June plea agreement during which he admitted misappropriating the money from clients' escrow accounts and making illegal wire transfers, said U.S. Attorney John P. Kacavas in a press release. Steuk operated Warranty Title Company, LLC, a title services company that primarily focused on closings related to the refinancing of real estate. Warranty Title was a subsidiary and the largest client of Chicago Title, Inc. On Aug. 9, 2007, Steuk contacted Chicago Title and requested additional funds for the business to maintain his company's solvency. An ensuing audit of Warranty Title's escrow account determined that from April 1, 2005, through Aug. 9, 2007, Steuk stole money from at least 36 victims. He illegally wired at least 19 separate sums of third-party money ranging between $10,000 and $130,000 to accounts held by himself or family members, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald Feith. Steuk could not be reached for comment Thursday, but told the Mail Tribune in June that he had repaid a "substantial part" of money he siphoned from the Warranty Title accounts. The initial tally of Steuk's fraudulent transfers was listed as $1.3 million. As part of the plea agreement, Steuk and federal prosecutors agreed to stipulate that the losses were more than $400,000 and less than $1 million. Steuk remains responsible for repayment of $930,946.90, Kacavas said. Chicago Title, a Florida-based title insurer, has a civil case pending against Steuk. Chicago Title has received at least 40 claims from individuals who participated in real-estate closings facilitated by Steuk's escrow company. Some of the money went to pay salaries to his wife, Barbara, and children, including payments of $67,000 to Kristin Steuk and $27,100 to Robert L. Steuk, court records show. According to the Vintner's Kitchen website, the family works together to produce a line of 20 wine- and spice-infused products. The maximum penalties for the offense could have been a prison term of 20 years. In exchange for Steuk's guilty plea, prosecutors agreed to recommend a sentence at the low end of the guidelines, court documents state. Kacavas said successful prosecutions of criminals like Steuk will "help restore confidence in our real estate and securities markets, deter future acts of fraud, and provide restitution to victims." Reach reporter Sanne Specht at 541-776-4497 or e-mail [email protected].