A Detroit-area attorney charged with embezzlement for allegedly stealing funds intended for the Michigan Humane Society from the trust of his deceased client pleaded guilty, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Wednesday.
Anthony Semaan, 64, of Grosse Pointe Park, was charged in April.
Semaan drafted the victim’s trust in 2011 and the individual later passed away in 2013. Fifty percent of the victim’s trust was allocated to the Michigan Humane Society and because those assets were intended for a charity, charitable trust provisions required that the Attorney General’s Office be involved.
In 2016, after all expenses were paid, Semaan was tasked with distributing the funds according to what was specified in the trust. He placed a total of $262,732.68 into his lawyer’s trust/escrow account, distributed two payments to individuals named in the trust, but did not provide the Michigan Humane Society with a notice of their interest in the trust or with the 50% disbursement.
Tuesday afternoon before Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Noah Hood, Semaan pleaded guilty as charged to embezzlement $50,000 to $100,000, a
15-year felony. His conviction will be reported to the State Bar of Michigan.
“Older individuals who use professionals for estate planning should be able to rely on those professionals to follow the law and make sure the money is distributed in accordance’s with their wishes. When those professionals misappropriate those funds, my department stands ready to hold them accountable,” Nessel said.
Semaan’s sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 9.
- Posted November 04, 2021
- Tweet This | Share on Facebook
Attorney pleads guilty to embezzling from client's trust
headlines Oakland County
- Annual Dinner & Meeting
- FORCE Team arrests six in prolific auto theft ring
- Michigan allocates $12 million to support community-based organizations in advancing environmental and climate justice
- Oakland County and SMART launch pilot program providing free transit for veterans and dependents
- Supreme Court sides with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
headlines National
- More lawyers—and clients—want to learn about sustainable development practices
- Top artificial intelligence insurance tips for lawyers
- Lawyer charged with illegally transmitting Michigan data after 2020 election
- Viral video shows former Rikers Island inmate as she learns she passed bar exam on first try
- How Sullivan & Cromwell is scrutinizing potential new hires after campus protests
- No separate hearing required when police seize cars loaned to drivers accused of drug crimes, SCOTUS rules