3 accused of forging power of attorney to fraudulently obtain over $570K to stand trial in Michigan
Three people accused of stealing an individual's identity and illegally creating a power of attorney to obtain over $570,000 from them are set to stand trial in Michigan, the Department of Attorney General said Friday.
Averill Dintaman, 46, and Daniel Nolan, 51, both from Mount Pleasant, Michigan, waived preliminary examination and were ordered to stand trial in the 56th Circuit Court in Eaton County. Co-defendant Dwayne Johnson, 59, was bound over to stand trial in June.
Prosecutors allege that the three people stole someone's identity in 2022 and forged a fraudulent durable power of attorney to obtain an unclaimed property check in their name for $579,551. Johnson, from St. Louis, Missouri, then posed as the victim at the Michigan Department of Treasury's office to get a second copy of the check.
The Department of Treasury referred the matter to the Department of Attorney General, officials said.
All three are charged with one count of conspiring to commit false pretenses for amounts over $100,000, according to the attorney general's office, and Dintaman and Nolan are each charged with one count of forgery and using a computer to commit a crime.
Dintaman is also charged with one count of uttering and publishing, and Johnson faces one count each of identity theft and using a state ID to commit a felony, the attorney general's office said.
Johnson's next court appearance is scheduled for Thursday, and Dintaman and Nolan each have their next hearing on Oct. 17.