Man charged with impersonating attorney

A man accused of impersonating an attorney to keep a client from jail may now be headed there himself after prosecutors charged the man with 13 felonies for allegedly claiming to be the very-real lawyer for whom he used to work.

John Hedderman, 52, was once a licensed attorney in California but resigned in 2001 with charges pending after several incidents of ineligibility to practice law. However, prosecutors say in February he represented himself as an attorney named Donald Welch when he met client Ruben Bisceglia in Southern California and learned he was seeking help withdrawing a plea of no contest to possessing stolen property in San Mateo County.

Hedderman once worked as a paralegal for the real Welch who practices in Southern California. Bisceglia reportedly paid Hedderman more than $1,000 in fees and he appeared in San Mateo County Superior Court three times between March and August 2012.

When a San Mateo County prosecutor attempted to contact the real Welch for follow-up on a victim restitution order, authorities learned of the deception. District Attorney Inspector Kevin Raffaelli found Hedderman in custody for committing similar offenses in Orange County where he falsely represented himself as an attorney in a 2008 family law dispute. He was ultimately convicted of 12 felonies in Orange County.

In the San Mateo County case, Hedderman waived a preliminary hearing last week and was held to answer on all charges. He returns to court Dec. 5 to enter a Superior Court plea and possibly set a trial date. Meanwhile, he remains in custody on $50,000 bail.

Hedderman, according to the State Bar of California, stipulated to misconduct in four cases including failure to perform competently, refund unearned fees and communicate with clients and pay court-ordered sanctions or cooperate with the bar’s investigation.

While working in Orange County between June 2004 and August 2005, Hedderman was accused of falsely claiming to be an attorney of clients whom he generally met through personal referrals for divorces and chid custody cases. He was also accused of forging the signatures of clients and Welch, his employer, on legal documents.

If convicted in the new case on several counts of practicing law without a license, grand theft, false impersonation and threats, Hedderman faces between seven and eight years incarceration although the time would be served locally, said District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe.

Although Bisceglia was reportedly fooled by Welch, Wagstaffe said his no contest plea and 90-day sentence should stand because he entered it under the guidance of a different legitimate attorney.

Wagstaffe said his office does not believe Welch has any more cases in San Mateo County but would like to hear from anyone who may have been a client and victim.

"He seems to be very good at it,” Wagstaffe said.

Defense attorney Ed Pomeroy did not return a call for comment.

Michelle Durand can be reached by email: michelle@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 102.