Former New Jersey lawyer repaid more than $70K after theft by deception convictions
TOMS RIVER, N.J. — A disbarred attorney who admitted to posing as a licensed lawyer and collecting more than $70,000 from clients has been sentenced to three years of probation, Ocean County prosecutors announced.
David T. Schlendorf, 54, of Holladay, Utah, was sentenced Thursday after previously pleading guilty to five counts of theft by deception and one count of unauthorized practice of law.
Superior Court Judge Guy P. Ryan also ordered that Schlendorf have no contact with any of his victims.
According to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, Schlendorf has paid full restitution totaling $70,755.
Prosecutors said the investigation began after a Toms River resident hired Schlendorf in March 2025 to handle a legal matter and paid him approximately $10,000.
Investigators determined Schlendorf falsely represented himself as a licensed attorney despite having been disbarred in New Jersey in December 2022.
Schlendorf was arrested in Toms River on Oct. 7, 2025, by detectives from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Economic Crime Squad and the Toms River Police Department. He was later released under New Jersey’s bail reform law.
Authorities said the investigation uncovered five additional victims who hired Schlendorf between January 2023 and September 2025, paying him approximately $60,000 for legal services he was not authorized to provide.
Schlendorf pleaded guilty to the charges on April 27.
The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office credited the Economic Crime Squad, the Toms River Police Department Detective Bureau and Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Shanon Chant-Berry for their work on the case.
Key Points
- A disbarred attorney was sentenced to three years of probation after pleading guilty to theft by deception and unauthorized practice of law.
- Prosecutors said David T. Schlendorf collected more than $70,000 from six victims while falsely claiming to be a licensed attorney.
- Schlendorf has repaid $70,755 in restitution and was ordered to have no contact with the victims.
