United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a North Miami Beach, Florida, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Wire Fraud.
Tyler Vandenhoek, age 34, was indicted on February 8, 2022. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on May 26, 2022, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 20 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that beginning on or about January 14, 2020, and continuing through on or about February 18, 2020, in South Dakota and elsewhere, Vandenhoek devised a scheme and artifice to defraud by forging multiple stolen checks, and that he caused interstate wire communications to be transmitted for the purpose of executing the scheme.
The charges are merely accusations and Vandenhoek is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson is prosecuting the case.
Vandenhoek was released on bond pending trial. A trial date has not been set.