CHEYENNE, WYO. — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (National Fraud Enforcement Division), published as received.

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Daniel Keith McDougal, 37, of Orlando, Florida, was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release for leading a multi-state fraud scheme that targeted a Wyoming financial institution. He was also ordered to pay $27,000 in restitution.

The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge Alan B. Johnson, follows McDougal’s conviction by a federal jury in August 2026. 

Following a five-day jury trial, McDougal was found guilty of passing a counterfeit U.S. Treasury check, bank fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and conspiracy to defraud the United States.

Evidence presented at trial showed that McDougal and a co-conspirator, Kennard Bouk, traveled from Florida to Wyoming in January 2023 with the sole purpose of cashing a counterfeit $560,625 U.S. Treasury check at a bank in Cheyenne. Bouk previously pled guilty to bank fraud for his role in the scheme and was sentenced in May 2024 to 41 months in prison and ordered to pay $27,000 in restitution.

"No matter how calculated the scheme, it cannot withstand the joint efforts of our office, TIGTA, and the Secret Service," said U.S. Attorney Darin Smith. "Out-of-state fraudsters will be held fully accountable under federal law in Wyoming."

“The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) takes all investigations into passing counterfeit U.S. Treasury checks seriously,” stated TIGTA Special Agent-in-Charge Krystofor Proev. 

“We would like to thank our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for prosecuting such egregious acts in this case.”

The case was investigated by TIGTA and the United States Secret Service and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret Vierbuchen.

Case No. 26-CR-00168.

This case was part of the Department of Justice's National Fraud Enforcement Division, a specialized, data-driven unit that investigates and prosecutes fraud targeting American citizens and taxpayer-funded programs.

The division's operations directly support Executive Order 14395, issued by President Donald J. Trump on March 16, 2026. This order established the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government initiative that implements strict eligibility verification and protects federal and state benefit networks from systemic exploitation.

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