Police in Wayne NJ recently arrested two men accused of passing counterfeit cash at local businesses.

According to authorities, the suspects used counterfeit money to make a number of purchases at different stores located in Wayne, New Jersey.

The first fraud incident reportedly occurred at the Walgreens in the Valley Brook Shopping Center in Wayne NJ. Store workers called local police after two men purchases items using fake $100 bills. When Wayne NJ police officers arrived at the scene, they learned that the suspects also used counterfeit money at two other nearby stores.

Later that same night, Wayne police received another report of fake cash being distributed at a business on Valley Road. Police officers investigated and discovered the suspects standing inside a nearby liquor store. A police officer recognized one of the suspects from an earlier incident in which the suspect was charged with disorderly conduct.

The two suspects, an 18-year-old Orange NJ man and a 19-year-old Orange man, were placed under arrest and charged with forgery.

If the suspects are ultimately convicted of forgery, they would be in store for significant penalties. As set forth by N.J.S.A. 2C:21-1, anyone caught altering money can be charged with a third degree crime and potentially sentenced to 3-5 years in New Jersey State Prison.

After being arrested and processed, the suspects were moved to the Passaic County Jail. They were each being held at the correctional facility on separate $20,000 bail amounts.

To learn more about this case, read the NJ.com article, “Duo Caught Passing Counterfeit Cash in Wayne, Cops Say.”