Manhattan Beach attorney pleads guilty to embezzling client settlement money

A 36-year-old attorney from Manhattan Beach has pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $300,000 from his former clients to support his gambling addiction.

Sergio Valdovinos Ramirez pleaded guilty to three felony counts of grand theft by embezzlement and one felony count of insufficient checking funds. 

He also admitted a special allegation of committing a crime that resulted in $100,000 0r more in losses.

Between 2019 and 2023, prosecutors say Ramirez cheated his clients out of money they were expecting from settlements or other court matters to fund his gambling habit. He also allegedly wrote bounced checks to his clients.

"The defendant duped and deceived his clients of funds that were earmarked for them, only to blow hundreds of thousands of dollars of these funds gambling," Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said in a news release.

As part of his plea agreement, Ramirez agreed to pay $50,000 before his Sept. 21 sentencing as well as at least $310,000 in restitution. He is set to be sentenced to two years in state prison.

As a result, Ramirez was disbarred in 2024.

"This truly was a house of cards that collapsed when law enforcement and State Bar officials learned about his duplicitous actions. He not only lost his ability to practice law but also must pay back the stolen money and serve time in prison as well," Hochman said in a news release.