Counterfeiting 101 has been canceled - 4 university students busted for counterfeiting

I was reading the online edition of the Charleston (IL) Times-Courier
and saw this article on 4 guys at Eastern Illinois University getting
arrested for passing off bogus bills. Looks like there won't be
anymore classes of "Counterfeiting 101" anytime soon - in fact, the
four guys will be getting a education of a different kind in Federal
Prison. The article is below. NOTE: The names of the criminals have
been deleted from this post for legal reasons.

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Four EIU students charged with making, passing counterfeit bills

By the JG/T-C


CHARLESTON -- A federal grand jury returned an indictment Wednesday
charging four Eastern Illinois University students with conspiracy to
make and pass more than $1,500 in counterfeit money.

Those charged are xxxxxx, xxxxxx, xxxxxx, & xxxxxx, according to a
press release from Rodger A. Heaton, U.S. Attorney for the Central
District of Illinois. All four are listed as students on the EIU Web
site.

The indictment alleges the four purchased paper at Wal-Mart and used a
color copier/printer at an EIU residence hall to make color copies of
$20 bills. The men then allegedly cut each counterfeit note from the
paper and rubbed lotion into the counterfeit notes to make them appear
more genuine.

The indictment also charges that the four agreed to pass the
counterfeit bills and to split among themselves the money received as
change.

The indictment alleges that more than $1,000 in counterfeit bills was
passed from Nov. 27 through Nov. 30, mostly at fast-food restaurants
in Charleston, Mattoon, Paris and Marshall, as well as in Terre Haute,
Ind.

The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Secret Service and local
police departments in Paris, Charleston, Mattoon and Marshall; the
Eastern Illinois University Police Department; and the Terre Haute
Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugene L. Miller is
prosecuting the case.

Summonses will be issued for the defendants to make their initial
appearances in federal court in Urbana.

If convicted, the each of the men faces a maximum penalty of five
years in prison for conspiracy to manufacture and pass counterfeit
U.S. currency, and 20 years for the manufacture and passing
counterfeit U.S. currency.

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