North Dakota FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office Recover $4.8 Million Dollars Scammed from Dickinson Public Schools

             Bismarck – On April 30, 2026, U.S. Attorney Nicholas W. Chase announced, pursuant to a civil warrant, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of North Dakota, working in conjunction with the FBI, seized $4,856,578.51 in money fraudulently obtained from Dickinson Public Schools during a business email compromise scheme. 

           As stated in the filings in civil case number 1:26-cv-008, the FBI and United States Attorney’s Office traced money fraudulently obtained from Dickinson Public Schools to a Citibank account. Thereafter, on March 27, 2026, the United States filed a civil forfeiture complaint and obtained a federal Warrant of Arrest in Rem to seize the money located in this account. On April 22, 2026, pursuant to this seizure warrant, Citibank produced a check to the United States Marshals Service in the amount of $4,856,578.5, which represented money fraudulently obtained from Dickinson Public Schools.

           The United States Attorney’s Office is pursuing this ongoing civil forfeiture lawsuit with the goal of obtaining a final judgment for the seized $4,856,578.51 and then, pursuant to 28 C.F.R. Part 9, will request that the Department of Justice Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section (MNF) remit the forfeited funds back to Dickinson Public Schools.

           The timeline for final adjudication of these proceedings is unspecified; however, the United States Attorney’s Office is working diligently to pursue the speedy resolution of this matter. 

           This seizure occurred as part of civil case number 1:26-cv-088, which is still an ongoing case. The seized funds will be held by the United States Marshals Service until the District Court enters a final order of disposition.

           “The United States Attorney’s Office is pursuing this ongoing civil forfeiture lawsuit with the ultimate goal of remitting the seized $4,856,578.51 to    victims in accordance with Department of Justice policy,” said US Attorney Nick Chase.   

            “The FBI remains committed to protecting Americans from scams of all kinds, including business email compromises,” said Special Agent In Charge Christopher Dotson. “We are proud of the work with our law enforcement partners and will continue to investigate and prosecute unscrupulous scam artists.  We will also continue to educate the public on ways to avoid becoming a victim."

             PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

           Assistant United States Attorneys Jonathan J. O’Konek and Matthew D. Greenley, white collar fraud prosecutors located in Bismarck and Fargo, are familiar with how these schemes operate and caution North Dakotans to pause before responding to emails. They offer the following advice, “Scammers are successful by relying on time and distance. They attempt to make you act quickly by presenting false or frightening consequences and they can effectively impersonate others by the distance of the internet. When you receive an email asking you: 1) to change how you are making payments; 2) to alter wiring instructions; or 3) for information about your company, stop and contact the party with whom you are doing business. A quick phone call to a supervisor, client, or banker can verify whether you received a legitimate email. Do not allow scammers to use time and distance to make you act quickly. Instead, take a moment to review the email, look for irregularities, and check that the email address is from the person with whom you previously worked. If an email looks suspicious, it most likely is.” 

           To learn more about how to spot an attempted scam, and what to do if you fall victim, visit the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crime Complaint Center webpage and review their public service announcements, including the December 19, 2025 alert “Senior U.S. Officials Continue to be Impersonated in Malicious Messaging Campaign.”   

           This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Marshals Service, and the Dickinson Police Department. Law enforcement is continuing to investigate the criminal elements of this offense. As a result, no additional comments will be made on the ongoing criminal investigation. AUSA Jonathan J. O’Konek and AUSA Matthew D. Greenley are representing the United States in this case.

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