A Utah man has admitted to unlawfully practicing law and defrauding multiple victims in Ocean County after falsely presenting himself as a licensed attorney and collecting tens of thousands of dollars for legal services he was not authorized to provide.

Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that on April 27, 2026, David T. Schlendorf, 54, of Holladay, pled guilty before the Honorable Guy P. Ryan to five counts of Theft by Deception and one count of Unauthorized Practice of Law.

At sentencing on July 17, 2026, the State will seek probation, with the condition that Schlendorf have no contact with any of his victims. He will also be required to pay restitution totaling $70,755.

Authorities said an investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Economic Crime Squad and the Toms River Township Police Department Detective Bureau began after a victim in Toms River hired Schlendorf in March 2025 for legal representation and paid him approximately $10,000.

Investigators later discovered that Schlendorf had falsely claimed to be a licensed attorney. In reality, he had been disbarred in the State of New Jersey in December 2022.

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

A continuing investigation uncovered that between January 2023 and September 2025, five additional victims retained Schlendorf for legal matters, paying him roughly $60,000 in total. Those additional charges were served via summons as the case proceeded through Ocean County Superior Court.