He was a skilled-enough impersonator that he pulled off his scheme for years, talented enough at it that he seemingly could have chosen any identity. A celebrity, or a scholar, perhaps.

But the man had a different goal: He chose to live life as Stephen G. Dickerman, attorney at law — or simply Shlomo, to his clients who went to his office cubicle in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn.

Law enforcement officials say they are not certain who the accused man is; they only know that he is not Mr. Dickerman. The actual Stephen G. Dickerman was a lawyer for more than 40 years, but has not renewed his license since 2008. Court papers say the impostor then used the real Mr. Dickerman’s attorney registration number to set up shop for himself, charging $400 an hour for legal advice.

But he had bigger ambitions. In 2012, the man decided to try his hand in federal court, going to the United States courthouse in Brooklyn where he was sworn in to practice as Stephen G. Dickerman, according to an affidavit.