Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Disbarred Attorney Released from Custody Again

The much-arrested and disbarred attorney Michael Theodore Pines, 60, was released from custody last week after he made another felony plea deal.

In his most recent case, Michael Theodore Pines admitted making a written extortion attempt and practicing law while suspended by the California State Bar, both as felonies. He also admitted misdemeanor trespass. These three offenses occurred between July 20 and July 26 of this year, according to court paperwork.

Pines was free on his own recognizance at the time. He pled guilty just the month before, in June, to felony stalking of one named victim, plus disturbing the peace of another named victim in violation of court order, plus resisting arrest; three separate prior incidents.

From court hearings, it appears Pines’ most recent felonious actions are in connection with a person who was in bankruptcy proceedings. This man owned an estate in Rancho Santa Fe — a posh area of San Diego County — and Pines first claimed he was acting as a concerned citizen and not as an attorney for the man. This man in financial distress appeared to believe it was not possible for him to be a trespasser on his own property, although bankruptcy trustees testified that he needed their permission to enter the property after it became controlled by them and the courts. People who were staying at the Rancho Santa Fe property are the alleged victims of Pines’ emailed extortion attempts.

Prosecutor James Romo submitted to the court copies of emails he said were from Michael Theodore Pines, these emails demanded hundreds of thousands of dollars from a man and his wife who lived at the estate; Pines gave a deadline for payment of the money, and in exchange he would not demand their arrest and expose their illegal activities which he mysteriously alleged.

In past court appearances, Pines’ mental competency has been questioned. Sometimes Pines has attempted to represent himself in court, and sometimes he has had legal representation. Court documents suggest that Pines threatens legal action against attorneys who represent him but then disappoint him.

The San Diego District Attorney’s office and authorities in Orange County and Arizona have all struggled with Michael Theodore Pines, according to statements made in court and published accounts.

Pines appears to position himself as a champion of persons who are in danger of losing their homes, he speaks of conspiracies involving banks and people in position of authority. In past, the unusual attorney has invited television news cameras to follow him while he assisted clients trying to get back into their foreclosed homes, Pines even arranged a locksmith to open a front door in at least one case.

According to court paperwork, Pines could get as much as 4 years and 8 months in custody for his current list of admitted offenses. His sentencing is scheduled for September 26 in San Diego’s North County Superior Courthouse.

In the meantime, Michael Theodore Pines is free again on his own recognizance. Superior Court Judge K. Michael Kirkman ordered Pines to report to probation and wear electronic monitoring and “to receive appropriate medical attention at appropriate facility” while he awaits sentencing.

There appears to be another attorney named Michael Pines who practices law in San Diego County, this other attorney practices personal injury law out of his La Jolla offices, and struggles with the strange publicity of the other man named Pines.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/sep/02/30703/

Editor's note: There are 2 attorneys named Michael Pines, the other is a personal injury attorney in La Jolla.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

Croome Brothers Trio, Jack Tempchin, Ricky, Swami & the Bed Of Nails, Kahlil Nash

Acoustic and electric in Del Mar, La Jolla, Little Italy, and City Heights
Next Article

Croome Brothers Trio, Jack Tempchin, Ricky, Swami & the Bed Of Nails, Kahlil Nash

Acoustic and electric in Del Mar, La Jolla, Little Italy, and City Heights

The much-arrested and disbarred attorney Michael Theodore Pines, 60, was released from custody last week after he made another felony plea deal.

In his most recent case, Michael Theodore Pines admitted making a written extortion attempt and practicing law while suspended by the California State Bar, both as felonies. He also admitted misdemeanor trespass. These three offenses occurred between July 20 and July 26 of this year, according to court paperwork.

Pines was free on his own recognizance at the time. He pled guilty just the month before, in June, to felony stalking of one named victim, plus disturbing the peace of another named victim in violation of court order, plus resisting arrest; three separate prior incidents.

From court hearings, it appears Pines’ most recent felonious actions are in connection with a person who was in bankruptcy proceedings. This man owned an estate in Rancho Santa Fe — a posh area of San Diego County — and Pines first claimed he was acting as a concerned citizen and not as an attorney for the man. This man in financial distress appeared to believe it was not possible for him to be a trespasser on his own property, although bankruptcy trustees testified that he needed their permission to enter the property after it became controlled by them and the courts. People who were staying at the Rancho Santa Fe property are the alleged victims of Pines’ emailed extortion attempts.

Prosecutor James Romo submitted to the court copies of emails he said were from Michael Theodore Pines, these emails demanded hundreds of thousands of dollars from a man and his wife who lived at the estate; Pines gave a deadline for payment of the money, and in exchange he would not demand their arrest and expose their illegal activities which he mysteriously alleged.

In past court appearances, Pines’ mental competency has been questioned. Sometimes Pines has attempted to represent himself in court, and sometimes he has had legal representation. Court documents suggest that Pines threatens legal action against attorneys who represent him but then disappoint him.

The San Diego District Attorney’s office and authorities in Orange County and Arizona have all struggled with Michael Theodore Pines, according to statements made in court and published accounts.

Pines appears to position himself as a champion of persons who are in danger of losing their homes, he speaks of conspiracies involving banks and people in position of authority. In past, the unusual attorney has invited television news cameras to follow him while he assisted clients trying to get back into their foreclosed homes, Pines even arranged a locksmith to open a front door in at least one case.

According to court paperwork, Pines could get as much as 4 years and 8 months in custody for his current list of admitted offenses. His sentencing is scheduled for September 26 in San Diego’s North County Superior Courthouse.

In the meantime, Michael Theodore Pines is free again on his own recognizance. Superior Court Judge K. Michael Kirkman ordered Pines to report to probation and wear electronic monitoring and “to receive appropriate medical attention at appropriate facility” while he awaits sentencing.

There appears to be another attorney named Michael Pines who practices law in San Diego County, this other attorney practices personal injury law out of his La Jolla offices, and struggles with the strange publicity of the other man named Pines.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/sep/02/30703/

Editor's note: There are 2 attorneys named Michael Pines, the other is a personal injury attorney in La Jolla.

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.