Windsor lawyer convicted of stealing family trust funds

A Sonoma County judge on Tuesday sentenced a Windsor lawyer to nearly a year in prison plus three years of probation for taking money from a family trust he managed.

Judge Mark Urioste sentenced Michael Voorhees during a hearing in Sonoma County Superior Court in Santa Rosa. Voorhees, who was not already in prison, was ordered by Urioste to surrender by July 9.

“He is extremely remorseful and embarrassed,” Voorhees’ attorney, Martin Woods, told The Press Democrat after the sentencing.

Court records show a victims' representative spoke to Vorhees during Tuesday's sentencing hearing, but a transcript of her statement was not immediately available.

Voorhees was arrested on January 11, 2023, and reached a plea deal with prosecutors in April. He pleaded no contest to six counts of grand theft.

He stole money from trusts he co-managed with Richard Holm, a real estate investor who died in May 2022.

A family member told The Press Democrat last year that Voorhees was Holm's attorney, business partner and friend for more than 40 years.

A criminal complaint filed by prosecutors said approximately $550,000 was stolen between February 2016 and February 2020.

The filing identifies several members of Holm's family as victims and says the theft was discovered in May 2022.

Holm had been investing in real estate since the 1970s. Her niece, a retired CPA, began helping her uncle with his accounting and tax filings in 2008.

Last year, Holm's family told The Press that the Voorhees Democrat had failed to provide financial statements they had requested over the years.

He provided bank statements three weeks after Holm's death and resigned from the trust on May 24, 2022. The statements showed something was wrong and police were notified, family members said.

After his arrest, Voorhees pleaded not guilty to grand theft allegations.

He was scheduled to attend a preliminary hearing in Sonoma County Superior Court in September, but he waived the hearing.

Woods said he couldn't explain why Voorhees took the money, but that restitution was covered.

“Everything was paid for,” Woods said.

You can contact editor Colin Atagi at [email protected]. On Twitter @colin_atagi