Counterfeiter uses fake bills at Columbia garage sales
The suspect confessed to creating the bills.
June 4, 2008
A man was arrested Friday afternoon on suspicion of using counterfeit bills to buy goods at garage sales in a south Columbia neighborhood.
John Patrick Mooney, a Columbia resident, was arrested on suspicion of four counts of forgery.
In a news release, the Columbia Police Department said reports were filed at 11 a.m. Friday that counterfeit money had been distributed at garage sales held in Bluff Creek Estates.
The reports indicated counterfeit twenty- and five-dollar bills were being used, and the release states garage sales on St. Charles Road, Norwich Drive, Butternut Court and White Oak Lane received counterfeit bills.
Columbia Police Department Capt. Stephen Monticelli said the suspect purchased items from four garage sales within city limits and at least two in Boone County.
Monticelli said the suspect manufactured the phony bills himself using one-sided photocopies of real dollar bills that were glued together and softened to give them the appearance of being authentic, possibly by using a dryer.
The release said witnesses were able to provide a physical description of the suspect, as well as a description of the suspect’s red, new model Ford Ranger and the vehicle’s license plate number.
The release stated police apprehended the suspect after the vehicle was seen in the parking lot of Back Yard Burgers on Clark Lane, and the suspect was identified as he was leaving the building. Police found evidence in the suspect’s vehicle linking him to the crime.
According to the release, the suspect implicated himself as the author of the counterfeit bills and claimed responsibility for purchasing the stolen property with the bills.
Police said the case is still under investigation, and the suspect’s residence will be investigated for physical evidence in the case.
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