Pennsylvania casino discovers more fake $100 bills
Valley Forge Casino Resort in Pennsylvania has discovered three fake $100 bills in the past month. The most recent counterfeit bill was discovered in the casino on July 7 and was given to the establishment by a 57-year-old man from Red Hill, PA. The money was transferred to the US Secret Service for further investigation.
The previous fake $100 bill incident in the casino occurred on June 7. The two $100 bills were handed over by a 63-year-old man from Bensalem, PA, to the gaming property. Both men involved in these incidents are reportedly victims and would not be investigated for using counterfeit currency.
More counterfeit currency was found in the gaming property in March. The State Police was called in, and the bills were also passed on to the Secret Service for more extensive inspection. Upon investigation, the state officials revealed that the dollar bills did not have “security features”.
Four residents of Philadelphia reportedly made use of $16,000 worth of counterfeit bills at Pennsylvania and New Jersey casinos and tried to pass them off as real in April 2019. The counterfeit bills include 20 $100 notes used at Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino and Racetrack in Chester.
In December 2020, each offender was charged with forgery, conspiracy, theft by deception, and possessing instruments of crime. The Philadelphians include Mahagany White, 33; Kiara Kristin Purnell, 31; Marcus Davis, 44; and Nieem Johnson, 37. It is not certain if the charges stuck while in the local court.
The incident report alleged that the offenders knowingly circulated fake dollar bills at the Rivers Casino Philadelphia, previously known as the SugarHouse Casino. There were 18 fake $100 bills circulated, each with the same serial number. The bills were allegedly passed at two Spanish 21 blackjack tables by Purnell and White.
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Out of the stash, 25 bills were allegedly moved by Johnson at two Parx Casino tables, and in that same month, 20 bills followed through the Harrah’s tables. He was also accused of allegedly passing 20 of the phony bills at Valley Forge Casino and, with the help of Davis, spent 77 more $100 bills at Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem, now known as Wind Creek Bethlehem.
Johnson allegedly made another effort to use the counterfeit bills at Hard Rock Café Casino in Atlantic City, NJ. However, he was discovered by a dealer and then reported to the gaming floor supervisor. The casino security guards were told of the situation and brought into the matter.
In April, an incident linked to counterfeiting occurred in a guest room in the Philadelphian Extended Stay America Hotel. According to the police, the suspected counterfeiting operation involved a printing scheme that turned $1 bills into $100 bills. The notes were bleached before being touched up via a printing process. Once again, all the bills shared a common serial number.
While talking about the rising issue of counterfeit bills, the Secret Service claimed that the threat “continues to evolve”.
“Advances in technology, the availability of scanning and printing devices, and the adoption of the US dollar by nations as their legal tender have exacerbated the global threat,” the federal law agency said in a statement.
Indulging in forging counterfeit bills or distributing them often leads to prison time. A similar case occurred in June 2021, when Savannah Symone Duncan was convicted and sentenced to two years. Duncan allegedly tried to pass $20 bills which made up $2,640 in Fort Myers, Florida, but got caught.