Gwinnett County: 2 indicted in e-mail bank fraud scam after 2-year investigation

GWINNETT COUNTY, GA—After a two-year investigation, Gwinnett County Police Department (GCPD), in collaboration with the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office, has indicted two people in connection with 19 fraud and forgery-related charges. The scam involved a total of more than $400,000 loss between eight victims in multiple states who were duped into updating or changing their payment information by a fraudulent service provider.

In August 2022, detectives assigned to Electronic Financial Crime Unit began looking at Winston Dougan as a potential suspect in a fraud case where a victim in Illinois was scammed into sending a $192,987 wire transfer via a business email compromise scheme. The victim in that case thought she was sending funds to a service provider, but instead, the funds ended up in a bank account belonging to Dougan. Through a series of investigative methods, detectives determined Dougan converted the funds for his own use and sent Mikhail Roosevelt Keize a check for $133,000.

On Oct. 7, 2022, Dougan attempted to cash a fraudulent check at a local bank using fake identification. Officers assigned to GCPD’s Central Precinct responded to the location and arrested Dougan. During Dougan’s arrest, multiple forged identifications and debit cards were discovered.

Detectives interviewed Dougan and seized his cell phone for evidence before he was booked into the Gwinnett County jail.

Detectives then began a lengthy investigation into Dougan’s background, which uncovered that he controlled over six fraudulent bank accounts. Dougan’s pattern of illegal activities resulted in approximately $441,000 loss between eight different victims. Victims were located across multiple states, including CA, IO, TX, NJ, IL, and FL, from June 2022 through August 2022.

On July 17, 2024, the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s office returned an 18-count indictment against Dougan: seven counts of theft by receiving stolen property over $25,000; six counts of identity fraud; four counts of forgery; and one count of forgery.

Mikhail Keize was indicted for one count of theft by receiving stolen property over $25,000.

In the wake of the indictment, GCPD detectives are remind the public to use caution when receiving emails from vendors or service providers asking you to change or update your payment information. Detectives encourage the public to contact the vendor and confirm the authenticity of the request.

Photos via Gwinnett County Police Department