ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — The St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office announced a major counterfeit ID and money bust on Thursday morning.
Sheriff Ken Mascara said a housekeeper at the Hilton Garden Inn, located at 8540 Commerce Centre Dr., went to clean a hotel room on July 23 and found a computer, printing equipment, and paper supplies that investigators said were consistent with a counterfeit operation.
Investigators arrested 30-year-old Christopher Tucker Bertany, 40-year-old Jesse David Delay, and 20-year-old Sierra Rae Jackson.
According to the sheriff, Bertany admitted to printing between $3,000 and $4,000 in counterfeit money and passing more than $1,000 of it in St. Lucie County alone.
"These counterfeits were very, very sophisticated and in fact were not detected by the standard counterfeit pen that most merchants use," Sheriff Mascara said.
Investigators said Bertany admitted to using the counterfeit money to buy items, and then he returned those items for real currency.
The money might also be circulating in the county by the suspects using it to buy items through apps.
“Selling and buying was done through apps such as Offer Up, LetGo, Craigslist, and Facebook Marketplace,” Mascara said. “We can be pretty assured the counterfeit is stopping, but there is counterfeit money in our local economy,” said Mascara.
Now, investigators want you to be sure you know how to spot counterfeit cash should it end up in your hands.
A simple way is to remember to feel it, tilt it and hold it to light.
The paper should feel slightly rough to the touch, and if it feels off, check the security features.
For anything $10 and up, check color-shifting ink on the right corner, which should change from green to copper.
Under the light, the watermark and security threat should be visible from both sides of the bill and match the portrait or denomination.
Each denomination also has its own unique color under UV light.
Click here to learn more about U.S. currency designs and security features.
If you suspect you’ve received counterfeit cash, contact your local law enforcement.
