Church Offering Plate Swindled by Fake Money
A man has conned a local church by placing a counterfeit $100 bill into the offering plate on Sunday, and then taking back out $80 of authentic money in return.
Officials at Indiana’s Saint Benedict’s Catholic Church in Evansville only later realized the money was fake.
Evansville police are investigating a surge of counterfeit money flowing throughout the area, and have reported to News 25 that the problem has been going on since early June.
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The incident at the Saint Benedict’s Cathedral involved a counterfeit $100 bill, while four other incidents have involved false $20’s used at different businesses nearby.
Evansville’s Financial Crimes Unit has said that all the incidents could be linked to one person, but that it is also possible that multiple people are involved.
The southwestern town’s businesses as well as local residents have been urged by police to help put an end to the counterfeit operation.
Evansville Police spokesperson Karen Kajmowicz told News 25, “I guess there isn’t anyone that’s safe your know; anyone that deals with money needs to be careful no matter what the denomination, they need to make sure that they’re checking for the security measures that are on the bills to make sure that they are good bills.”
Kajmowicz expressed disdain toward Sunday’s incident, “You may think it’s safe in the offering plate, but apparently not.”
In response to the theft, ushers at Saint Benedicts will now no longer be allowed to give change for the offering plate, AP has reported.
Counterfeiting currency is a criminal offense, and is a class C felony under federal law. Fraudulent use of fake money is punishable by up to 12 years in prison or a fine of up to $250,000. State laws also have their own penalties for perpetrators.
The fraudulent manufacture and sale of goods is also a crime. In 2010, authorities seized 19,959 items of counterfeit and pirated goods, totaling $188.1 million, according to the U.S. State Department of Homeland Security website.
The most commonly counterfeited items found in the U.S. include cigarettes, office stationery, labels, clothing, and toys.
