Gwinnett County men charged in multi-state fraud investigation
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GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - Two men are facing nearly 20 charges in Gwinnett County after officials say they were connected to a national fraud scheme.
Officials say Winston Dougan and Mikhail Keize were indicted on 19 total counts by the Gwinnett County District Attorney's Office on July 17.
According to investigators, Dougan was first identified as a suspect in a fraud case out of Illinois. In that case, officials say a woman was scammed into sending a $192,987 wire transfer that she thought was going to a service provider. Instead, investigators say the money ended up in a bank account belonging to Dougan.
Winston Dougan (Gwinnett County Police Department)
Investigators were able to learn that Dougan reportedly converted the funds and sent Keize a check for $133,000.
Authorities arrested Dougan in October 2022 after they said he tried to cash a fraudulent check at a Gwinnett County bank using a fake ID. After his arrest, police say they found multiple forged IDs and debit cards on his person.
As the investigation continued, officials learned that Dougan allegedly controlled multiple fraudulent bank accounts that stole around $441,000 from victims in California, Iowa, Texas, New Jersey, Illinois, and Florida in a three-month period.
Mikhail Keize (Gwinnett County Police Department)
Dougan was charged with seven counts of theft by receiving stolen property over $25,000, six counts of identity fraud, four counts of forgery in the first, and one count of forgery in the third. Keize was indicted for one count of theft by receiving stolen property over $25,000.
Authorities say the case is an important reminder to the public to be careful when responding to emails allegedly from vendors or service providers asking about payment details.