A New Jersey man has been sentenced to more than two years in federal prison for bank fraud and identity theft involving forged passport cards.
Michael Scott Hillwig, 59, of Camden, New Jersey, was sentenced on April 7th in the Northern District of Florida, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. He was convicted of bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and false use or forgery of a passport.
Hillwig obtained victims' personal information—including names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and passport card numbers—which he used to create fraudulent U.S. passport cards bearing his photograph and the victims' identifying details. He then traveled to financial institutions in South Carolina and Florida, including locations in Bonifay, Niceville, and Winter Garden, where he presented the fake documents to make unauthorized withdrawals from victims' accounts.
According to U.S. Attorney John P. Heekin, the case highlights broader concerns about identity protection. "It is of vital importance to raise awareness about the vulnerability of our personal identifying information online, which fraudsters relentlessly pursue as they seek to enrich themselves by exploiting their victims."
Hillwig will serve his prison sentence followed by three years of supervised release and is required to pay restitution to his victims. The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service, the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office, and the Holmes County Sheriff's Office.
