Detective George Gillenwater with Rockingham Police Department, Criminal Investigations Division, said a man was arrested shortly before Christmas with the help of local businesses, the Secret Service and the CID.
“Businesses came through big time in the last couple months,” Gillenwater said.
Between Mecklenburg, Moore, Richmond and several other counties in the area, the man cashed between 200 and 300 counterfeit checks, even though the timeline of how long he has been active is unknown at this time, Gillenwater said.
Additionally, the arrest resolves several incidents in which a suspect attempted to pass counterfeit bills to local businesses and retailers.
“A lot of that is related to him,” Gillenwater said. “You’ll probably be seeing less of the counterfeit money.”
Gillenwater said two businesses came to them with potential evidence, one dealing with the passing of counterfeit bills and the other through video surveillance of a man attempting to cash illicit checks.
Gillenwater said that if it were not for businesses keeping a watch on the money and checks coming through, and especially making sure their video equipment was property working, the arrest would not have happened when it did.
“Basically keep the video equipment working properly,” Gillenwater said.
The man’s identity will remain anonymous as he is working with the Secret Service and helping them identify other members of the group.
The only information available is his sex, that he is in his mid-30s and is not from Richmond County.
Although he is charged locally too, he is to be indicted and prosecuted on a federal level by the Secret Service, according to Gillenwater.
That trial date has yet to be determined. The man is currently being detained in the Moore County jail.
Staff writer Bryan Stewart can be reached at 997-3111 ext. 15 or by e-mail at bstewart@yourdailyjournal.com.
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