A New Jersey man pleaded guilty Tuesday to defrauding an investor out of up to $1 million in part by creating fake correspondence from Dewey & LeBoeuf. Vlade Stojchevski, 40, pleaded guilty to a single count of wire fraud in U.S. District Court in New Jersey in connection with the scheme. As part of the scam, he opened a bank account in Dewey's name and created false documents from the law firm to induce further funds from the victim.
According to a criminal information, Stojchevski in 1998 convinced an unnamed investor to give him $32,000. Facing mounting personal debts in 2007, he told his victim that while the initial investment had done well, the Russian government now controlled it and more funds were needed to pay off liens and debts placed on the account. He also claimed he needed money to pay lawyers at Dewey, whom he falsely claimed to have hired to help reclaim the investment.
A spokesman for Dewey confirmed the firm was the one identified in the criminal information filed in the case as only "D&L." A firm spokesman said, "We clearly have no idea who this person is. He has no connection to the firm and we have no knowledge of this matter."
Stojchevski faces 20 years in prison and a fine of at least $250,000, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Newark. Sentencing before Judge Garrett Brown is set for October. Stojchevski, who is already serving time in state prison on an unrelated charge, was arrested in October after the U.S. Attorney charged him with making counterfeit checks.
