Man charged in kidnapping is Harvard-trained attorney
By SUDHIN THANAWALA, Associated Press
Jul 13, 2015 5:48 PM CDT
FILE - In this March 25, 2015 file photo a news crew reports in front of the home a woman who was abducted in Vallejo, Calif. The case of the Northern California woman who said she was kidnapped for ransom only to have it called a hoax by local police took another bizarre twist when federal prosecutors...   (Associated Press)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California state bar records indicate the man charged in a kidnap-for-ransom case that police called a hoax is a Harvard-trained attorney who was disbarred earlier this year.

Matthew Muller was admitted to practice law in California in May 2011. But his license was suspended in 2013 for failing to pay annual dues.

The state bar later filed disciplinary charges against Muller, citing his failure to file a green card application for a client's son. He was disbarred after allegedly failing to cooperate with the state bar's investigation.

Federal prosecutors announced Monday they have charged Muller with the March kidnapping in Vallejo. Muller also faces charges in a home invasion robbery in another California city.

A call to his attorney, Thomas Johnson, for comment wasn't immediately returned.