Defendant Sentenced to 33 Months for Impersonating an Attorney, Defrauding Clients of More Than $200,000 in Legal Fees

Defendant Pleaded Guilty to Wire Fraud

NEW YORK - September 11, 2015 - Earlier today in Brooklyn federal court, Steven H. Dickman was sentenced to 33 months of imprisonment. Dickman stole an attorney’s identity and collected legal fees from more than 50 clients to whom Dickman falsely claimed he was that attorney. The sentencing proceeding was held before U.S. District Judge Allyne Ross. Dickman pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud in December 2014.

The sentence was announced by Kelly T. Currie, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Diego Rodriguez, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office.

As set forth in court filings, Dickman was admitted to the New York Bar in 1969 but resigned from the bar in 1987 when he was investigated for attorney misconduct. In 2009, Dickman stole the identity of a victim-attorney and assumed that victim-attorney’s status as a member of the New York Bar. Dickman then represented himself to be the victim-attorney to putative clients in order to obtain legal fees from them. In 2012, Dickman submitted an application to be admitted to practice law in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York and falsely swore an oath affirming that his name was that of the victim-attorney, that he was an attorney, and that he was a member in good standing of the New York Bar.

As part of his sentence, Dickman was also ordered to forfeit $20,000. The Court did not impose restitution today, but scheduled a restitution hearing for December 18, 2015.

The government’s case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Public Integrity Section. Assistant United States Attorney Lan Nguyen is in charge of the prosecution.

The Defendant:

STEVEN H. DICKMAN
Age: 70
Brooklyn, NY

U.S. Attorney’s Office
Eastern District of New York

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