Police in Floyd County, working with the state police and U.S. Secret Service have arrested five people so far in a counterfeit ring responsible for making and passing thousands of dollars in fake cash. Members of the community are said to be surprised that three of the five arrested were passing the fake bills to businesses they frequented and people they knew personally.
According to WLKY, the money was believed to mostly have been used to purchase drugs. The suspects had marijuana, pills, and fake bills on them at the time of their arrests. There were also weapons found in the apartment.
Federal charges are frequent in counterfeiting operations as the money is property of the U.S. Government. However, in this case, investigators haven’t said for certain if federal charges will be filed.
Although the money was believed to have been used for drugs, the five also passed bills at local, family-owned convenience stores where they were regular customers. In all, the police recovered around $4,000 in fake cash.
Crimes like counterfeiting are felonies and considered a type of fraud crime. Although counterfeiting is rare, it isn’t unheard of. Far more common are the fraud charges of bad checks and identity theft.
For a charge of “check deception” in Indiana, you will face a Class A misdemeanor and up to 1 year in prison with $5,000 in fines. However, if the check in question is more than $2,500, your charges will be elevated to a Class D felony and you will face closer to 3 years in prison and fines of $10,000.
Unlike check deception, identity theft is always considered a felony charge and one that the courts take very seriously. It is usually filed as a Class D felony with 3 years and $10,000 as maximum sentences.
All crimes like this have one thing in common—the pursuit of something that you aren’t lawfully entitled to. Whether it’s money or goods and services, fraud crimes typically involve deceit with the intention of gaining something of value.
You don’t have to be a hardened criminal to face charges like counterfeiting, bad checks, or identity theft. On the contrary, people from all walks of life face these charges. If you are up against fraud charges and need the assistance of a defense lawyer, we can help.
Contact our attorneys today to discuss the details of your case and how we can go about getting you the best results possible on your day in court.