Wayne County Attorney Sentenced For Stealing From Client's Trust

GROSSE POINTE PARK, MI — A Grosse Pointe Park lawyer was sentenced Wednesday for stealing from a dead client’s trust, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said.

Anothony Semaan, 64, was sentenced to two years’ probation, substance abuse assessment, psychological assessment, cognitive behavioral therapy and $2,848 in costs and fees by Judge Noah P. Hood, according to a news release.

Semaan pleaded guilty in November to embezzlement of $50,000 to $100,000, which is a 15-year felony.

"Professionals who misappropriate the funds of their clients also exploit their trust and will be held accountable by this office," Nessel said.

Authorities said Semaan drafted his client's trust in 2011, who later died in 2013. Semaan was responsible for distributing 50 percent of his dead client's assets to Michigan Humane Society after all other expenses were paid, according to the news release.

However, Semaan never provided the charity with a notice of their interest in the trust or with the 50 percent disbursement. Instead, he placed a total of $262,732.68 into his lawyer's trust/escrow account and distributed two payments to individuals named in the trust, the news release said.