A man who once served as an assistant prosecutor in the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office pleaded guilty Monday to systematically defrauding six clients by posing as a licensed attorney and collecting approximately $70,000 for legal services he was legally barred from providing.
David T. Schlendorf, 54, formerly of Toms River, pleaded guilty to five counts of Theft by Deception and one count of Unauthorized Practice of Law before Superior Court Judge Guy P. Ryan. He faces sentencing on July 17, when prosecutors will seek probation with no contact orders and restitution of $70,755.
Schlendorf’s prosecution is particularly striking given his former position within the very institution now pursuing him. He served as an assistant prosecutor in the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office from 2000 to 2003, and previously worked in the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office from 1997 to 1999—positions that gave him intimate knowledge of criminal law, courtroom procedures, and how to navigate the legal system with credibility.
The investigation, conducted by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Economic Crime Squad and Toms River Township Police Department Detective Bureau, revealed that Schlendorf leveraged that background and law enforcement credentials to exploit clients seeking legal representation.
Between January 2023 and September 2025, he accepted clients and payment for legal work while misrepresenting himself as a licensed attorney—more than three years after being disbarred by New Jersey in December 2022. The criminal scheme involved at least six victims.
In March 2025, a Toms River resident hired Schlendorf to represent him in an unspecified legal matter and paid approximately $10,000 for the purported services. That complaint triggered an investigation that ultimately uncovered five additional victims who had paid Schlendorf a combined $60,000 between January 2023 and September 2025.
Schlendorf’s prior work as a prosecutor gave him credibility that victims likely found reassuring. He knew how the courts operated, understood legal terminology, and could speak authoritatively about procedure—knowledge that made his deception particularly effective. For clients without legal sophistication or institutional resources to verify attorney credentials, his former status as a county prosecutor would have appeared to validate his claims.
Schlendorf was arrested on October 7, 2025, by detectives from the Economic Crime Squad and Toms River Township Police Department in Toms River. He was transported to Ocean County Jail but was subsequently released under New Jersey’s Bail Reform law, which eliminated cash bail for most offenses.
