Dickinson Schools: LA Man Indicted in $4.9M Fraud

DICKINSON (trfnews.i234.me) — A Los Angeles man faces federal charges in a fraud case involving Dickinson Public Schools.

Federal prosecutors accuse Dexter Shondell Love Jr. of participating in a scheme targeting payments for Dickinson High School renovations.

Two school district payments totaling approximately $4.92 million were allegedly redirected through fraudulent payment instructions.

Federal Grand Jury Indicts California Man

A federal grand jury indicted Love on August 5, 2026, according to the court records described in the report.

The listed charges include wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit bank fraud.

The indictment was later unsealed following an October 9 filing in North Dakota federal court.

Authorities issued an arrest warrant when the indictment was filed, according to the supplied court-document account.

That account says Love contacted the FBI on October 8 and indicated he intended to surrender.

However, his stated intention does not independently confirm that he surrendered or appeared in court.

Prosecutors allege Love worked with an unindicted California associate and others to divert school construction funds.

The group allegedly impersonated JE Dunn Construction, a contractor involved in renovating Dickinson High School.

According to the indictment summary, messages came from an address resembling the construction company’s legitimate business email.

The alleged impostor account used the address accounts@jedunncon.com.

Investigators say the messages directed school officials to send payments to a Citibank account controlled by conspirators.

District payments allegedly reached that account on December 12, 2025, and January 20, 2026.

Bravera Bank held the district account used for the transfers, according to the indictment description.

Citibank reportedly received a fraud alert on January 30 and closed the receiving account February 2.

These details are allegations from charging documents, not findings that Love committed the offenses.

In February, Dickinson Public Schools publicly reported that a fraudulent email scheme had diverted more than $4.92 million.

Federal investigators subsequently traced funds to a Citibank account and obtained a civil seizure warrant.

On April 30, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced the seizure of $4,856,578.51.

The recovered amount differs from the district’s earlier estimate of the total diverted payments.

Prosecutors said the seized funds were being held during a civil forfeiture case.

They intended to seek their return to the school district after required legal proceedings.

The announcement did not establish that the entire amount had already been repaid to the district.

The FBI, Dickinson Police Department, and United States Marshals Service participated in the federal investigation.

KFYR reported October 23 that Love had been indicted and that an arrest warrant remained outstanding.

No verified plea, conviction, sentencing date, or later custody update was available in the reviewed reporting.

Readers can consult PACER for available federal court filings and subsequent case developments.

Love is presumed innocent of all charges unless proven guilty in court.

I’m Adrian Cole reporting for TRF News.