A Livonia man with a history of legal trouble faces two new felony charges. The 45-year-old man was already on parole for a prior home invasion conviction when he was allegedly caught on camera at two different locations attempting to use counterfeit $100 bills.
Police were notified by managers of Riverside Arena and Larry’s Foodland after they said a man attempted to pay them with counterfeit money. Store managers told police that each of the bills had identical serial numbers. In addition, they said the bills contained a red Chinese symbol on their backs.
After review of security footage from those locations, police said they were able to identify the suspect. They obtained a warrant and went to the home of the suspect where they said they found 281 counterfeit $100 bills. Police arrested the man and he was charged with felony counterfeit charges.
In Michigan, the act of counterfeiting money and the use of counterfeited money are two separate charges with separate sentencing guidelines. Under MCL 750.252, a person who is found to be in possession of 10 or more counterfeit documents can be sentenced to a maximum of seven years in prison. Under MCL 750.253, a person found attempting to pass counterfeit money can be sentenced to up to five years in prison, and face a fine of up to $2,500.
No defendant who is facing charges of this magnitude should walk into a courtroom without legal representation. Anyone facing criminal charges should speak to a defense attorney as soon as possible to evaluate their options.