Bank fraud scheme sends Georgia man to federal prison for four years

MISSOULA - A federal judge today sentenced a Georgia man to four years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for a scheme that involved recruiting homeless individuals to cash fraudulent checks at Montana financial institutions, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

The defendant, Akia Demetrius Hills, 30, of Atlanta, Georgia, pleaded guilty in June to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.

U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided. The court also ordered $226,500.69 in restitution.

In court documents, the government alleged that Hills and others stole mail and checks, and then fraudulently used the identities of various individuals to cash fraudulent checks throughout Montana financial institutions. On May 10, 2019, Hills and others instructed a man to enter numerous banks to attempt to cash a fraudulent check. Eventually, one bank accepted the fraudulent check, which totaled $6,734. Hills traveled across the country to defraud banks and attempted to use homeless individuals to cash fraudulent checks at banks.

The U.S. Attorney's Office prosecuted the case. The FBI conducted the investigation.

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