An Illinois man, Dyonte Scott, has been sentenced to five years and five months in federal prison after admitting to attempting to defraud financial institutions in Bozeman. The scheme involved stolen identities and U.S. Treasury checks. Following his prison term, Scott will also serve three years of supervised release, according to U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich.
Scott, 24, from Chicago, pleaded guilty in July to charges of bank fraud, possession of a stolen U.S. Treasury check, and aggravated identity theft. The case was overseen by U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy.
U.S. Attorney Laslovich commented on the case: “Sophisticated bank fraud schemes, like the one attempted by Scott and his codefendant, Lorenzo Botello, harm multiple victims—banks... private citizens whose personal information is stolen and used; and the federal government through taxpayer-funded U.S. Treasury checks."
Tom Demeo from IRS Criminal Investigation highlighted the importance of this case as a deterrent: “The sentencing of Scott and Botello... should serve as a resounding message to others who attempt to steal from the federal government.”
Court documents revealed that law enforcement caught co-defendant Lorenzo Botello at a financial institution in Bozeman using fraudulent documents under the name John Doe on January 26th. Text messages found on Botello's phone showed that Scott had been directing him on how to deceive financial institutions for their scheme involving nearly $1 million in stolen Treasury checks.
In one text message exchange with Botello during the operation, Scott reassured him: “Lmk [how] everything goes[.] I’m right here with u the whole time.” Despite these efforts, both were apprehended before they could deposit any funds.
The investigation uncovered a network coordinating attempts across states to cash million-dollar U.S. Treasury checks at banks nationwide. For his involvement, Botello received a sentence of 16 months in federal prison earlier in October.
This case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office with investigations conducted by IRS Criminal Investigation along with local law enforcement agencies including Bozeman Police Department and Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office.