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Three Plead Guilty to Identity Theft, Fraud, Forgery Scheme Attempting Over Half a Million Dollar Theft
November 17, 2025
LANSING – Averill Dintaman, 46, and Daniel Nolan, 51, both of Mount Pleasant, and Dwayne Johnson, 59, of Saint Louis, have pled guilty to an identity theft and unclaimed property fraud scheme totaling more than half a million dollars, announced Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. In 2022, Dintaman, Nolan, and Johnson conspired to steal the identity of a victim and forged a fraudulent durable power of attorney to obtain an unclaimed property check in the victim’s name for $579,551.99. Johnson then posed as the victim in person at the Department of Treasury’s Unclaimed Property Office to obtain a second copy of the check.
The defendants were initially charged by the Department of Attorney General in May 2025. This matter was referred to the Department of Attorney General by the Department of Treasury.
“This was a deliberate attempt to steal more than half a million dollars from the State of Michigan and from the rightful owner of these funds, and I am thankful for the diligent work of the Department of Treasury and the prosecutors in my office who worked tirelessly to secure these convictions,” Nessel said. “We remain committed to ensuring that those who commit identity theft, fraud or forgery are held accountable.”
Dintaman pled guilty on October 30 to:
- One count of Conspiracy to Commit False Pretenses over $100,000, a 20-year felony;
- One count of Uttering and Publishing, a 14-year felony;
- One count of Forgery, a 14-year felony; and
- One count of Using a Computer to Commit a Crime, a 10-year felony.
Nolan pled guilty on November 14 to:
- One count of Conspiracy to Commit False Pretenses over $100,000, a 20-year felony;
- One count of Forgery, a 14-year felony; and
- One count of Using a Computer to Commit a Crime, a 10-year felony.
Johnson pled guilty on November 14 to:
- One count of Attempted False Pretenses over $100,000, a 5-year felony;
- One count of Counterfeiting/Forging/Using a State Identification Card to Commit a Felony, a 5-year felony; and
- One count of Identity Theft, a 5-year felony.
Dintaman is scheduled to be sentenced on December 11, 2025. Johnson is scheduled to be sentenced on January 15, 2026. Nolan is scheduled to be sentenced on January 22, 2026. All sentencings will be before Judge Janice Cunningham of the 56th Circuit Court in Eaton County.
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