Chicago and Las Vegas Men Found Guilty of Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud
Group Attempted to Cash Over One Million Dollars in Counterfeit Checks

Washington, D.C. – Two men, Steve Hill, 43, and Dan McKinney, 59, have been found guilty of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and three counts of bank fraud for their roles in a counterfeit check scheme by which they sought to defraud financial institutions of more than a million dollars, U.S. Attorney Jeffrey A. Taylor announced today.

A federal jury sitting in the District of Columbia found the two defendants guilty of the charges yesterday following a trial presided over by the Honorable Gladys Kessler. The defendants each face an approximate range of 46 to 57 in prison under the federal sentencing guidelines. Sentencing has been scheduled for December 9, 2008.

The evidence presented at trial established that between May 2004 and March 2005, McKinney and Hill, along with other co-conspirators, created, deposited and attempted to cash counterfeit checks in Washington, D.C. and in Las Vegas, Nevada. Steve Hill, from the Chicago, Illinois area, traveled between the cities and brought the proceeds of one check cashed in Las Vegas here to Washington to distribute to other members of the conspiracy. Dan McKinney had a cleaning business with bank accounts at the Bank of America in Las Vegas into which the counterfeit checks were deposited. The evidence showed that the scheme involved disguising the counterfeit checks as legitimate income to McKinney’s company, creating a paper trail, and splitting the proceeds among the co-conspirators.

In announcing the verdicts, U.S. Attorney Taylor commended the investigative work of FBI Special Agents Robert Schwinger, Thomas Chadwick and retired Special Agent Mark D’Attilio of the FBI’s Washington Field Office. He also praised Paralegals Jeanie Latimore-Brown, Diane Hayes, Tasha Harris and Supervisory Paralegal Anne Riopelle, as well as Legal Assistants Lisa Robinson and Bridget Harris, and student employee Sierra Tate. U.S. Attorney Taylor also recognized the assistance provided by members of the Litigation Technology Unit, including Kimberly Smith, Timothy Linder, Errol Spears, Joseph Calvarese, Thomas (Ron) Royal and Tyrone Bowie. Finally, Mr. Taylor commended Assistant U.S. Attorneys G. Bradley Weinsheimer and Thomas J. Hibarger, who are prosecuting the case.

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