San Francisco Lawyer Disbarred After Stealing $550K: CA State Bar

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — A San Francisco lawyer has been disbarred after being convicted of stealing $550,000 from a Sonoma County family trust, according to the State Bar of California.

The action against Michael Alan Voorhees followed his conviction for grand theft, the State Bar said in a press release.

Voorhees was convicted of six felony counts of grand theft in April 2024 in Sonoma County Superior Court, the bar said Thursday.

Voorhees drained about $550,000 from a family trust he co-managed as both a trustee and family associate, between 2016 and 2020, according to the bar.

"The State Bar Court determined that Voorhees' crimes involved moral turpitude and warranted a recommendation of disbarment to the California Supreme Court," the bar said.

Voorhees was a friend of Richard Holm, who set up multiple trusts for family members using Voorhees as the attorney, the bar said.

The theft was discovered in May 2022, when Holm died and family members began to inquire about the status of the various trusts in order to complete tax returns.

Voorhees pleaded no contest and was sentenced to almost one year in jail plus three years of probation.


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