Averill Dintaman, Daniel Nolan, and Dwayne Johnson have pleaded guilty to charges related to an identity theft and unclaimed property fraud scheme that sought to steal more than $500,000. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced the guilty pleas on Monday.
According to the Attorney General’s office, the three men conspired in 2022 to steal a victim’s identity and forged a durable power of attorney in order to claim an unclaimed property check worth $579,551.99. Authorities said Johnson later impersonated the victim at the Department of Treasury’s Unclaimed Property Office in an attempt to obtain a second copy of the check.
The Department of Treasury referred the case to the Attorney General’s office, which charged Dintaman, Nolan, and Johnson in May 2025.
“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 pleaded guilty on October 30 to conspiracy to commit false pretenses over $100,000 (a 20-year felony), uttering and publishing (a 14-year felony), forgery (a 14-year felony), and using a computer to commit a crime (a 10-year felony). Nolan pleaded guilty on November 14 to conspiracy to commit false pretenses over $100,000 (a 20-year felony), forgery (a 14-year felony), and using a computer to commit a crime (a 10-year felony). Johnson pleaded guilty on November 14 as well—to attempted false pretenses over $100,000 (a five-year felony), counterfeiting/forging/using a state identification card to commit a felony (a five-year felony), and identity theft (a five-year felony).
Sentencing dates have been set for all three defendants before Judge Janice Cunningham at Eaton County’s 56th Circuit Court: Dintaman is scheduled for December 11, Johnson for January 15, and Nolan for January 22.
