Man Accused of Trying to Use Counterfeit Money

A Wildwood man is accused of attempting to pay for his purchase at a convenience store with a counterfeit bill.

The 64-year-old was arrested at a Circle K convenience store in Leesburg early Friday morning after a clerk ran out to a sheriff’s deputy pumping gas and informed him the man was trying to pass off a fake $50 bill to buy cigarettes, according to an arrest affidavit.

The man was charged with using a counterfeit note and released from the Lake County Jail after he posted a $1,000 bond.

According to the affidavit, the man first came into the West Main Street store close to midnight Thursday to purchase a candy bar and pulled out the bill. The clerk noticed the money was counterfeit, and the man ended up paying with a real $20 bill.

Reports indicate that five minutes later he came back for the cigarettes and tried to use the fake $50.

According to the affidavit, the man told police he found the $50 bill outside of a gas station in Wildwood and did not realize it was fake.

If you have been charged with counterfeiting, the prosecution must prove that you committed the act knowingly - meaning you knew the money was fake. You may have been charged with making counterfeit money by forgery, or just charged with the act of trying to pay a retailer using a counterfeit bill. The most common counterfeiting charges are:

• Possession of counterfeit currency
• Manufacturing of counterfeit currency
• Using counterfeit currency or selling it to others
• Possessing tools for making counterfeit currency
• Conspiring with others to make, possess, use or sell counterfeit currency

Whatever the specific charges you are facing, a Villages Criminal Defense Lawyer at Whittel & Melton can help you determine the best defense strategy. Regardless of the series of events that led to your arrest for counterfeiting, we will work tirelessly to represent your best interests. For a free consultation to discuss your specific charges, call us at 352-369-5334 or contact us online as soon as possible.