SF’s Worst Judge Lets Serial Burglar Walk Free

Patrick Potter is a “hot prowler” — the kind of burglar who breaks into homes while people are inside. In 2023 alone, he racked up 18 burglaries in San Francisco. So what did the courts do? Judge Michael Begert awarded him diversion.

Not jail time. Not probation with serious teeth. Diversion — the legal equivalent of “please try harder.”

Archived tweet

SF courts aren't a revolving door, there are no doors. Here's a career hot prowler, Patrick Potter, with 18 burglaries in 2023. Potter was released into the public because the judge wishfully thinks some program will change the burglar's stripes. Potter didn't even bother to show up to court to check in. (SFPD arrested him within 20 minutes of this email)

Lou B @LuigiCPA January 10, 2026

Potter was released back into the public because Judge Begert “wishfully thinks some program will change the burglar’s stripes.” The results were predictable: Potter didn’t even bother showing up for his court check-in on January 9th. SFPD arrested him within 20 minutes of the warrant email going out.

This isn’t an isolated incident. According to Stop Crime Action’s Judge Report Card, Begert ranks as SF’s most “pro-violent criminal” judge. He previously released another repeat burglar named Boddy and denied the DA’s request for an ankle monitor after a felony burglary arrest. The pattern is clear.

Here’s the kicker: Begert doesn’t even live in San Francisco. He’s an East Bay resident making decisions about public safety for a city he doesn’t have to walk home in at night.

The data on diversion programs is damning. According to The Voice of San Francisco, most defendants who enter intensive treatment and diversion programs drop out due to lack of judicial and case management support — and they’re more likely to reoffend than those who weren’t diverted at all.

So we have a judge who lives outside the city, consistently releases repeat violent offenders, relies on programs that demonstrably fail, and claims he’s just “following the law.” The victims of Potter’s 18 burglaries might have a different opinion about what the law is supposed to do.

San Francisco’s courts aren’t a revolving door. There are no doors.

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