Three individuals are set to face a jury over allegations of a sophisticated identity theft and forgery plot. According to the Michigan Office of the Attorney General, Averill Dintaman and Daniel Nolan, both of Mount Pleasant, and Dwayne Johnson of Saint Louis waived their preliminary examinations and will be tried in Eaton County's 56th Circuit Court. The trio is entangled in accusations of engineering a fraudulent scheme to obtain more than $500,000.
The case involves a claim that in 2022, Dintaman, Nolan, and Johnson swindled the identity of an unwitting victim. They are accused of crafting a forged durable power of attorney to secure an unclaimed property check worth $579,551.99, according to a statement from the Attorney General's office. Highlighting the boldness of their alleged crime, it is purported that Johnson, masquerading as the true beneficiary, audaciously presented himself in person at the Department of the Treasury’s Unclaimed Property Office to receive a second issuance of the check.
The Attorney General, Dana Nessel, expressed her satisfaction with the proceedings, stating, per the Michigan Office of the Attorney General, "I am pleased to see this case move forward to trial." In the same release, she commits to relentless collaboration with the Department of the Treasury to ensure comprehensive prosecution of those suspected of these financial deceptions.
Dintaman faces a quartet of felony charges, including Conspiracy to Commit False Pretenses $100,000 or More, Uttering and Publishing, Forgery, and Using a Computer to Commit a Crime. Nolan has been slapped with similar charges, albeit one less related to Uttering and Publishing. As for Johnson, he faces charges that include Identity Theft and State Identification Card - Counterfeiting/Forging/Using to Commit a Felony, reflecting his alleged in-person deception. As reported, Dintaman and Nolan are expected to appear in court on October 17, while Johnson will have his day in court earlier, on September 11.
