Cops: New Milford High School Students Used Phony Cash At Local Businesses
NEW MILFORD, N.J.(CBSNewYork) -- Five New Jersey teens have been arrested for allegedly making counterfeit $20 bills and using them at local businesses.
The bills were first discovered at a Dunkin' Donuts on River Road in New Milford, police said.
Video from a store surveillance system captured the teens wearing New Milford school attire using the bills, which all had the same serial number, on April 25 and May 8, according to authorities.
After reviewing the footage, New Milford Police Detective Kevin Van Sanders contacted the U.S. Secret Service who informed him that bills with that serial number had also been passed in Dumont and Paramus.
Secret Service officials said that the bills appeared to have been made on a home ink jet printer, using resume paper. Upon further investigation it was determined that the bills had been made by a teen on a home computer before being distributed to other New Milford High School students, according to authorities.
During an interview with police, a student admitted to producing approximately $1,000 in fake bills. The student's parents gave police permission to search their home for the printer. During the search authorities discovered one HP Deskjet printer, a box of resume paper, a counterfeit $20 bill and five counterfeit $5 bills.
Upon reviewing past counterfeit bill reports, police discovered that one of the bills had been used at a New Milford 7-11 on April 13, and at the New Milford High School cafeteria on May 9.
Jagad Gurung and the rest of the staff at the 7-11 have been checking every bill since a customer paid a gas attendant with a fake bill and drove off.
"The guy came from outside and got a fake bill," Gurung told CBS 2's Hazel Sanchez.
When the machine rejected the cash, workers called the cops.
One New Milford teen said that the students were probably just in need of some extra cash.
"I'm a broke college girl. They're probably going through the same thing. They probably just need money," Shannon Rooney said.
The mistake could haunt the teens forever.
"The definitely put a mark on it. Because that goes on the permanent record, so it stays there forever," Michael Khan said.
Two of the teens have been charged with Uttering Forged Instruments, Possession of a Forgery Device, and Theft by Deception. The others were charged with Theft by Deception. All of the suspects have been charged as juveniles and released to their parents.
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