LOS ANGELES — John Keith Hoover, an attorney practicing out of Irvine, was disbarred from practicing law in California in response to his conviction of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit bankruptcy fraud.
The disbarment for Hoover, 65, was made official Dec. 29 per a California Supreme Court order, according to the State Bar of California website.
According to the case report on justice.gov, a federal court sentenced Hoover to 120 months in a federal prison on March 1, 2016, to be followed by three years' probation. He pleaded guilty to charges Aug. 3, 2015.
The State Bar of California granted the attorney time to file an appeal before proceeding with disciplinary action. When it was determined that Hoover would not appeal his conviction, according to court documents, the Office of the Chief Trial Counsel of the State Bar filed a motion recommending that the attorney be disbarred. The State Bar Court of California investigated the matter and the factual findings indicated Hoover’s actions showed great moral turpitude as he knowingly engaged in felony criminal activity. The attorney was not granted a hearing.
Hoover will be required to comply with the California Rules of Court Rule 9.20 subsections (a) and (c) in regards to his disbarment. The rules require Hoover to notify all of his clients of the ruling, deliver any papers necessary to clients in regards to their cases, return any fees that remain unearned, and alert opposing counsel in any pending litigation of his disbarment. Hoover must then file with the clerk of the State Bar Court that he has complied with disbarment provisions.
According to his profile page on the State Bar website, Hoover had been licensed to practice law in California since 1976. He graduated from Pepperdine University School of Law.
The California State Bar was established in 1927 by the state’s Legislature and is governed by 19 trustees. The State Bar Court added appointed full-time judges in 1989. To find court documents for all State Bar Court of California cases, go to calbar.ca.gov.