BILLINGS, MT — Vincent Charles McCall, 21, of Dallas, Texas, was sentenced today for passing stolen and forged checks amounting to over $40,000, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters sentenced McCall to 2½ years in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release, and ordered him to pay $30,446 in restitution to the victims of his crimes. The defendant pleaded guilty to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft in May 2023.
“Crimes like McCall’s harm both financial institutions and their customers and often require victims to spend significant time and energy piecing their credit histories back together. The investigation and prosecution of these cases calls for cooperation and coordination among different law enforcement agencies and I’m grateful to the Secret Service and the Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office, and AUSA Colin Rubich, for bringing McCall to justice.” U.S. Attorney Laslovich said.
The government alleged in court documents that beginning in January 2023, and continuing until his arrest on February 14, 2023, McCall participated in a scheme to defraud various financial institutions by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, or promises by passing stolen and forged checks at various bank branches across Montana. McCall forged signatures to obtain funds from victims’ accounts.
McCall would travel from Texas to other states and pass fraudulent checks for real bank accounts belonging to real people. He presented banks with high quality fraudulent IDs when asked for identification. Beginning in January, McCall started hitting banks across Montana, including branches in Bozeman, Choteau, Fairfield, and Billings. All told, McCall successfully stole approximately $39,682.00 and attempted to steal another $4,888.00 for a total intended loss of approximately $44,570.00.
As a part of the scheme, on February 14, 2023, McCall attempted to pass a check at a Western Security Bank branch in Billings on Old Hardin Road for $4,888.00. He gave the teller a fraudulent ID to disguise his identity. The teller grew suspicious and called the police. When the police arrived, McCall attempted to flee but was apprehended and arrested.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin Rubich prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office.