SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco attorney Dax Yeophantong Craven faces disbarment following a State Bar of California recommendation over four counts of professional misconduct in one client matter, including misappropriating $100,000 in entrusted funds.
The state bar's action follows a consumer alert issued about Craven last summer over alleged misconduct in a real estate deal.
Craven also was charged with making false statements and failing to maintain client funds in a trust account, said the 14-page decision and order of involuntary inactive enrollment issued Jan. 30 by the state bar court. Craven's inactive enrollment was effective three calendar days after the date of the decision and order and will terminate upon the effective date of the California Supreme Court's order imposing discipline, according to the decision and order.
The state bar's decision and order is pending final action by the state Supreme Court, an appeal before the state bar's review department or expiration of time in which parties may request further review within the state bar court.
Craven's recommended discipline was among the dispositions filed earlier this month by the state bar court's hearing department for January.
Craven was admitted to the bar in California on March 16, 2007, according to his profile at the state bar website. Craven had no prior discipline before the state bar, according to his profile and the state bar's decision and order.
Craven allegedly pocketed $100,000 he was supposed to use for a real estate transaction and told the client another $100,000 would be required to complete the deal, according to the state bar's consumer alert issued in July 2017. The state bar alleged Craven received $200,000 in April 2015, transferring half of that amount on behalf of his client to a title company and kept the rest, according to the state bar's consumer alert.
"He then solicited another $100,000 from the client, falsely telling him it was needed to verify net worth for the real estate transaction," the consumer alert said.
The state bar's chief trial counsel filed a notice of disciplinary charges on July 11, according to the consumer alert. He was ordered inactive on Friday, Feb. 2, according to information on his state bar profile.