A federal grand jury has indicted Michael Scott Hillwig, 58, of Camden, New Jersey, on charges related to identity theft and bank fraud in Florida and South Carolina. The announcement was made by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
Hillwig faces two counts of bank fraud, two counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count of false use or forgery of a passport. He appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Martin A. Fitzpatrick for arraignment in Tallahassee on August 27, 2025. His trial is scheduled for October 27, 2025, before United States District Judge Mark Walker.
If convicted, Hillwig could receive up to thirty years in prison for each bank fraud charge. Each aggravated identity theft count carries a mandatory minimum sentence of two years’ imprisonment. The charge involving false use or forgery of a passport carries a potential sentence of up to ten years.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service along with the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office and Holmes County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Harley W. Ferguson is prosecuting the case.
“An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial,” according to the statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida serves as one of 94 offices representing the principal litigators under direction from the Attorney General. Public court documents can be accessed through the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website (https://www.flnd.uscourts.gov/). More information about this office is available at http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
