A disbarred Utah attorney has been charged in New Jersey with theft and practicing law without a license after allegedly taking $10,000 from a client while falsely claiming to be a licensed attorney, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced.
David T. Schlendorf, 54, of Holladay, Utah, was arrested on Oct. 7 in Toms River and charged with theft by deception and unauthorized practice of law, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.
Investigators say the charges stem from a March 2025 incident in which a Toms River resident hired Schlendorf for legal representation and paid him approximately $10,000 in fees. Authorities later determined that Schlendorf had been disbarred in New Jersey in December 2022, but continued to present himself as an attorney.
The investigation was conducted jointly by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Economic Crime Squad and the Toms River Township Police Department Detective Bureau. Detectives took Schlendorf into custody without incident, and he was transported to the Ocean County Jail, where he remains pending a detention hearing.
“If anyone else has paid Mr. Schlendorf in connection with legal services after December of 2022, I urge you to contact Detective Jason Putkowski of the Toms River Police Department at 732-349-0150, extension 1349, or Sgt. Lindsay Llauget of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-929-2027, extension 3462,” Billhimer said in a statement.
Authorities did not immediately release details on when Schlendorf is expected to appear in court.
Why was he disbarred?