TALLAHASSEE, FL – Friday — A 58-year-old New Jersey man is facing a slew of federal charges after prosecutors say he used stolen identities and forged documents to carry out a bank fraud scheme across Florida and South Carolina.
Michael Scott Hillwig of Camden, NJ, was indicted by a federal grand jury this week on five counts, including two counts of bank fraud, two counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count of false use or forgery of a passport. He appeared in federal court in Tallahassee on Wednesday and has been ordered to stand trial this October.
According to prosecutors, Hillwig allegedly engaged in fraudulent banking transactions by using stolen personal information and a falsified passport to impersonate other individuals. The charges stem from incidents that occurred throughout Florida and South Carolina, though officials have not disclosed the full scope of the alleged financial losses.
If convicted, Hillwig could face up to 30 years in prison on each of the bank fraud counts. Each aggravated identity theft charge carries a mandatory two-year sentence, while the passport forgery charge carries a maximum of ten years.
The U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service led the investigation, with assistance from the Okaloosa and Holmes County Sheriff’s Offices in Florida.
Prosecutors say Hillwig’s crimes involved false representations and unauthorized use of personal identification details, though they have not yet revealed how the identities were obtained or the specific banks involved.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Harley W. Ferguson.
Hillwig is currently presumed innocent and will remain so unless the government proves its case beyond a reasonable doubt at trial, scheduled to begin on October 27 in Tallahassee federal court.
