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LANSING – Averill Dintaman, 47, and Daniel Nolan, 51, both of Mount Pleasant, and Dwayne Johnson, 60, of Saint Louis, have been sentenced by Judge Janice Cunningham of the 56th Circuit Court in Eaton County after pleading guilty to an identity theft and unclaimed property fraud scheme totaling more than half a million dollars, announced Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. Yesterday, Johnson was sentenced to 12 months' probation. Dintaman was sentenced on December 11, 2025, to 3 to 20 years’ incarceration. Nolan was also sentenced to 3 to 20 years’ incarceration on January 29, 2026.
In 2022, Dintaman and Nolan conspired to steal the identity of a Michigan man and forged a fraudulent durable power of attorney to obtain an unclaimed property check in the victim’s name for $579,551.99. Dintaman and Nolan then recruited Johnson to pose 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,” said Attorney General Nessel at the time the defendants pled. “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;
- One count of Uttering and Publishing;
- One count of Forgery; and
- One count of Using a Computer to Commit a Crime.
Nolan pled guilty on November 14 to:
- One count of Conspiracy to Commit False Pretenses over $100,000;
- One count of Forgery; and
- One count of Using a Computer to Commit a Crime.
Johnson pled guilty on November 14 to:
- One count of Attempted False Pretenses over $100,000;
- One count of Counterfeiting/Forging/Using a State Identification Card to Commit a Felony; and
- One count of Identity Theft.
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