Pittsburgh Financial Advisor Admits Posing as Labor Department Official to Win Retirement Plans

Published Nov. 4, 2026. Case status is current as of that date.

Most government-impersonation scams target individuals: a fake marshal, a fake IRS agent, a fake Social Security officer. This case, federal prosecutors say, aimed at small business owners and the retirement plans they offer their workers. And the person doing the impersonating was a licensed financial advisor.

On Nov. 2, 2026, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania announced that Lazaven Mitchell, 38, of Pittsburgh, had pleaded guilty to one count of false impersonation of a federal officer or employee [1].

How the scheme worked, according to the court record

The court was told the following at Mitchell's guilty plea, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office [1]:

1. The fake federal role. On several occasions between April and June 2024, Mitchell, described as a Pittsburgh-based licensed financial advisor and loan officer, presented himself to local businesses as working for the U.S. Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), the agency that oversees private-sector retirement plans.
2. The "compliance review." He contacted businesses, said he worked for EBSA, and asked to review their retirement plans for compliance.
3. The problem found. After a review, he would identify a compliance issue.
4. The fix: him. He then recommended the business fire its current plan advisor and transfer the plan to him as plan administrator, including giving the owner a draft letter to sign terminating the old advisor.
5. Official-looking paperwork. He sent letters bearing the Department of Labor seal and an EBSA mailing address in Washington, D.C.

Prosecutors also cited text messages. In one, Mitchell referred to having "a final determination from the DOL" and to coming to the business to retrieve "the documents for the Department of Labor inquiry." To a different business owner, he sent a fictitious business card bearing EBSA's name and crest, his name with the title "Employee Benefit Advisor," and an address for a suite in the William S. Moorhead Federal Building [1].

The release does not say how many businesses were contacted, whether any plans were actually moved to Mitchell, or whether any money was lost. We have not found those details in an official source.

The defendant and case status

Lazaven Mitchell, 38, of Pittsburgh, pleaded guilty before Senior U.S. District Judge David Stewart Cercone to one count of false impersonation of a federal officer or employee. Sentencing is scheduled for March 25, 2027 [1].

The law provides for up to three years in prison, a fine of up to the greater of $250,000 or twice the gross pecuniary gain to Mitchell, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence depends on the seriousness of the offense and any prior criminal history. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan J. McKenna is prosecuting. The FBI and the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General investigated [1]. The case number was not stated in the release.

Why business owners are a target

Small employers who sponsor 401(k) or other retirement plans take on legal responsibilities, and many rely on outside advisors because the rules are complex. A visit or letter from someone claiming to be a federal regulator can be alarming, and an owner who is told the plan is out of compliance may be eager for a quick fix. A "regulator" who recommends himself, or any particular private advisor, as the fix is a serious red flag; check with the agency directly before acting.

Red flags

These are general warning signs, not claims about any specific person in this case.

• A "government" reviewer who recommends a specific private advisor, administrator or company to fix the problem.
• Pressure to sign a letter firing your current advisor or moving your plan.
• Contact by text message, a personal phone number, or an unscheduled visit, instead of formal written notice you can verify.
• Business cards, seals and letterhead offered as proof. Anyone can print a seal.
• An address or phone number you can't confirm through the agency's official website.

If someone contacts your business claiming to be from the Labor Department

• Verify independently. Look up the agency's contact details on dol.gov yourself and call to confirm the person and the inquiry. Don't use numbers or addresses the contact gives you.
• Don't sign anything on the spot, especially documents that change who manages your plan.
• Loop in your current plan advisor and legal counsel.
• Report impersonation to the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, which helped investigate this case, and to the FBI at ic3.gov.
• Check advisors' records before hiring them, using FINRA BrokerCheck or the SEC's Investment Adviser Public Disclosure site.

Case status

Defendant	Court	Status as of Nov. 4, 2026	Source
Lazaven Mitchell, 38, Pittsburgh	U.S. District Court, Western District of Pennsylvania (case number not stated)	Pleaded guilty to one count of false impersonation of a federal officer or employee (announced Nov. 2, 2026); sentencing March 25, 2027, before Senior Judge David Stewart Cercone	[1]

Statuses can change. Mitchell has pleaded guilty but has not been sentenced.

Sources

1. U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Pennsylvania, "Pittsburgh Financial Advisor Pleads Guilty to Falsely Impersonating Department of Labor Employee," Nov. 2, 2026. https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdpa/pr/pittsburgh-financial-advisor-pleads-guilty-falsely-impersonating-department-labor

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