Counterfeit? Yes, the ink was running off the bill, authorities say
From Illinois Business Journal news services
EAST ST. LOUIS – Apparently, the ink wasn’t yet dry when a local man decided to pass a phony $100 bill at a local pub.
Wade R. Buckner, 26, of St. Louis, has been sentenced to nine days in prison and three years of supervised release for “passing or uttering counterfeit obligations or securities,” as charged in a one- count indictment. Buckner was also ordered to pay a $100 special assessment, said a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois.
At his sentencing, Buckner admitted that he passed counterfeit United States currency at the Oz Nightclub in Sauget on March 7, 2013.
Buckner handed the bartender a $100 bill to purchase drinks. Immediately realizing the bill was fraudulent, the bartender ran water over it, and the ink began to run, authorities said.
Security escorted Buckner to the exit where he was apprehended by the authorities. Police found an addition $400 worth of counterfeit currency.
The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Sauget, Illinois, Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael Hallock.
