In 1743, Lestocq forged the so-called Lopukhina Conspiracy to engineer the downfall of Chancellor Aleksey Bestuzhev. It was he who suggested Sophie Augusta Fredericka of Anhalt-Zerbst (the future Catherine the Great), a Prussian protégé, as a bride for the heir apparent.
Around 1743, Lestocq devised the infamous Lopukhina Affair to bring down Chancellor Aleksey Bestuzhev. He was the one who suggested Sophie Augusta Fredericka of Anhalt-Zerbst (the future Catherine the Great), a Prussian protégée, as a bride for the future Russian tsar.