Fake lawyer sentenced

On Tuesday, Hedderman received the maximum although the sentence will be split with two years and eight months spent in the county jail of which he has 164 days credit followed by three years of mandatory supervision. He must also pay victim Ruben Bisceglia $3,600.

The sentence is a good outcome, said District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe.

“He is a fraud who preyed on innocent victims and his sentence accomplishes both goals of the criminal justice system — punish and then supervise to prevent repetition of the crime,” Wagstaffe said.

Hedderman was once a licensed attorney in California but resigned in 2001 with charges pending after several incidents of ineligibility to practice law. Last February, he allegedly represented himself as Donald Welch, a real-life Southern California attorney for whom he worked as a paralegal, and took up the case of Bisceglia who wanted help withdrawing a plea of no contest to possessing stolen property in San Mateo County. Bisceglia reportedly paid Hedderman more than $1,000 in fees for three appearances in San Mateo County Superior Court between March and August 2012.

When a San Mateo County prosecutor attempted to contact the real Welch, authorities learned of the alleged local misrepresentation and that he was convicted of 12 felonies in Orange County for falsely representing himself as an attorney. Hedderman also stipulated to the State Bar of California he committed misconduct in four cases including failure to perform competently; he must also refund unearned fees and communicate with clients and pay court-ordered sanctions or cooperate with the bar’s investigation, according to the State Bar of California.

Hedderman had been free from custody on $50,000 bail.

michelle@smdailyjournal.com

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