Teen Counterfeit Ring: Fake Bills Used for School Lunch
High school is supposed to be a time for personal growth and increased maturity and responsibility, but for some, it's just a time to break the law.
Four students at Jenson Beach High School in Stuart, Florida were arrested last week after being implicated in a teen counterfeit ring.
The fake money was being used to buy school lunch.
On April 26, the Jenson Beach High School administration was notified by its bank that a counterfeit $20 bill had been passed in the lunch line. In response, the school armed cafeteria workers with detector pens, reports WPEC.
The next day, workers caught a freshman girl trying to use a counterfeit $5 bill, which is when the station reports that the Sheriff was called in.
After a bit of finger pointing and another student's attempt to use the money, the teen counterfeit ring was busted. Police had four freshman suspects in custody.
All four teens, aged 14 to 16, have been charged with "uttering counterfeit bills," which is legal speak for "facing 20 years in jail and/or a large fine under federal law for manufacturing and passing out fake money."
Don't worry, the story gets way better.
After trying to tell police that he got the fake money during a drug deal with a sixth grader, WPEC reports that a freshman boy fessed up to printing out a large stash of bills on his home computer.
The yellowish resume paper that he used? Turns out that his parents bought it for an alleged school project.
Related Resources:
- Martin County students accused of passing counterfeit money (WPTV)
- Know Your Money (Secret Service)
- Counterfeiting (FindLaw)
- Margaret Maloney Arrested For Passing Counterfeit Money (Phoenix Criminal Law News)
