Police: Fake Cash Circulating In The Valley

Police are warning merchants to be on the lookout for counterfeit money circulating through the area.

Three people have been arrested so far in connection to the case.

Hard-to-spot counterfeit $100 bills have been passed at a number of Ansonia businesses, Detective Sgt. Patrick Lynch said Wednesday.

“They’ve been going in and buying a small amount of items, paying with a $100 bill and taking the change,” Lynch said.

“They’ve hit everywhere from food stores to gas stations, department stores like Target, CVS, a liquor store, a dollar store, Burger King — all in Ansonia,” Lynch said.

The three people arrested are:

  • Starr Heath, 28, of Bridgeport
  • Shonda Coachman, 30, of Bridgeport
  • Melissa Gordon, 27, of Bridgeport

Each woman was charged with first-degree forgery and sixth-degree larceny. Police used surveillance videos to track down the suspects.

Police are still investigating how the trio allegedly came into possession of the cash — and how long they’ve been passing the bills. 

“We’re still investigating that. The Secret Service is involved,” Lynch said.

Ansonia police sent an e‑mail alert to hundreds of city merchants Tuesday warning them about the bills. 

“Counterfeit indicating pens do not work on the bills, so they have to be found by checking for watermarks, colored fibers and security strips on the bills,” the alert read.

The $100 bills had the following serial numbers:

  • AB92997017C
  • AB92997020C
  • AB92997025C
  • AB92997029C
  • AB92997032C
  • AB92997033C
  • AB92997034C
  • AB92997036C
  • AB92997039C

Lynch said counterfeit money is becoming more prevalent in the Valley. Technology makes it easier to produce counterfeit bills, according to the Secret Service.

“For us, it doesn’t happen a lot — probably six or seven times a year, but it seems to be picking up lately,” Lynch said. ​“We had one earlier in the week — a $100 bill passed at Taco Bell — that we believed is linked to this. I know Derby had two, I think, a few weeks ago on Pershing Drive. I don’t believe that one was linked to ours.”

In addition, there have been reports of counterfeit cash circulating in Bridgeport and New Haven.

“We’re just trying to figure out which group these girls belong to,” Lynch said.

In 2008, a group of men from Danbury were indicted for circulating counterfeit cash throughout Connecticut and into New York. The counterfeit ring was cracked after one of the men was stopped in North Carolina, where police allegedly found almost $30,000 in fake bills in the car.

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