A Utah man has been charged after allegedly posing as an attorney and collecting tens of thousands of dollars from unsuspecting clients in Ocean County.

Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that on March 24, 2026, David T. Schlendorf, 54, of Holladay, Utah, was charged with four counts of Theft by Deception and five counts of Unauthorized Practice of Law.

An investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Economic Crime Squad and the Toms River Township Police Department Detective Bureau revealed that in March 2025, a Toms River resident hired Schlendorf for legal representation and paid him approximately $10,000. Authorities determined that Schlendorf misrepresented himself as a licensed attorney, despite having been disbarred in New Jersey in December 2022.

Schlendorf was taken into custody on October 7, 2025, in Toms River by detectives from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office and Toms River Police. He was transported to the Ocean County Jail and later released under New Jersey’s bail reform guidelines.

Further investigation uncovered additional victims. Authorities say that between January 2023 and September 2025, five more individuals hired Schlendorf for legal services, collectively paying him approximately $60,000.

Schlendorf has since been served with the additional charges via summons and is pending upcoming appearances in Ocean County Superior Court.

“We suspected there may be additional victims, and unfortunately we are finding this to be true,” Prosecutor Billhimer said. “Anyone with information concerning this defendant’s conduct should contact Detective Jason Putkowski of the Toms River Police Department or Sgt. Lindsay Llauget of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.”

Prosecutor Billhimer commended the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Economic Crime Squad and the Toms River Township Police Department Detective Bureau for their efforts in the investigation.