William D. Brenner, a 62-year-old Dover, Pennsylvania, man accused of taking more than $1 million in retirement savings from an elderly woman, pleaded not guilty in federal court in Harrisburg on September 2, 2026. The same day, the court set jury selection and trial for November 2, 2026. Prosecutors say Brenner promised the woman, who was born in 1936, a fixed-interest investment and instead spent the money on a Kentucky commercial property, a new pickup truck and equipment. The charges are allegations, and Brenner is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
A not-guilty plea and a November trial date
According to the federal court docket in United States v. Brenner, case number 1:26-cr-00172 in the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Brenner appeared for his initial appearance and arraignment on September 2 before Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Daryl F. Bloom. A not-guilty plea was entered that day. The magistrate judge also signed an order setting conditions of release and a scheduling order that set jury selection and trial for 9:30 a.m. on November 2, 2026, in Harrisburg before U.S. District Judge Jennifer P. Wilson.
The docket shows further activity in the following days. The defense filed a motion to modify Brenner’s conditions of release on September 2, and on September 4 Judge Wilson appointed the Federal Public Defender’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania to represent him and scheduled a hearing on the motion for September 9. Trial dates in federal criminal cases frequently move when either side needs more time to review evidence, so the November 2 setting reflects the schedule as ordered in early September.
When a trusted adviser handles retirement money: A case like this turns on who authorized what and when, which is why a dated trail of transfers and signatures matters from the first hour. The first-hour recovery plan and a fraud evidence and report log are part of The Senior Fraud Defense & First-Hour Recovery Kit.
What prosecutors allege happened in 2021
A federal grand jury returned an eight-count indictment on August 5, 2026, charging Brenner with two counts of wire fraud and six counts of engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced the case the next day…