From staff reports
Dalton Daily Citizen
DALTON — A man who authorities believe lives in Florida — despite giving a North Carolina address — has been arrested for trying to pass a counterfeit $100 bill and being in possession of counterfeit $100 bills totaling $10,100.
Angel Wilfred Leguisamon-Pena, 29, who police say may be from Orlando, was charged with one count of first degree forgery on Friday for attempting to pass the fake $100 bill at an area retail store. He was also charged with 100 counts of second degree forgery for possession of counterfeit bills.
“If not for an alert cashier, it’s likely that he would have gotten away with the crime, just as he apparently did at least 11 other times at retail stores around the I-75 corridor between Florida and northwest Georgia,” said police spokesman Bruce Frazier.
Leguisamon-Pena attempted to pay for a pair of shoes at Journey’s in Walnut Square Mall with a “very convincing” fake $100 bill, Frazier said.
“However, the clerk didn’t just mark the bill with the special pen which is used to authenticate bills, she also held the bill up to the light to check the watermark and security strip,” he said. “She saw that the security strip showed the bill was actually a $5 bill, and the watermark showed Abraham Lincoln’s face. Leguisamon-Pena then apologized and paid with real $20 bills, but not before officers arrived.”
Investigators obtained a search warrant for Leguisamon-Pena’s car and discovered $10,100 worth of counterfeit $100 bills, along with bags of merchandise from at least 11 other retailers from cities like Calhoun and Stockbridge which receipts showed were paid for with $100 bills. After investigating the receipts, investigators found that he pocketed nearly $1,500 in change from these transactions in addition to the merchandise purchased.
“While this is the largest bust the DPD has made, more counterfeit bills have been appearing in the area,” said Frazier. “Counterfeiters appear to wash the ink off of $5 bills and then re-print them in other denominations. This way, the bills appear to be genuine because they are printed on legal stock. However, if retailers check the security strip and watermarks in the light, they can still be spotted as fakes.”
Police department officials urge retailers to train their employees to beware and take the time to check bills, he added. If anyone suspects a customer is attempting to pass a counterfeit bill, contact the police department by dialing 911.
