Series of arrests made in circulation of counterfeit money
By Melinda Harrell
Published in News on July 1, 2017 12:33 PM
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Full SizeA series of arrests have been made in connection to instances of counterfeit money being circulated in Wayne County.
Two brothers and woman were charged for trying to pass off fake money at various businesses within the city and in the county, according to press releases from the Wayne County Sheriff's Office and the Goldsboro Police Department.
Brandon Devon Smith, 33, 204 Apt. A Hereford Drive, Dudley, is facing four counts of forgery of an instrument, four counts of uttering a forged instrument, three counts of obtaining property by false pretenses and one count of attempting to obtain property by false pretenses, after being arrested by the Wayne County Sheriff's Office on Thursday.
Smith also received additional charges of possession of five plus counterfeit bills, uttering a forged instrument and obtaining property by false pretenses, after being charged by the Goldsboro Police Department, according to a release.
In the course of the sheriff's office investigation, Smith was developed as a suspect after counterfeit money was passed at business in the Mar-Mac area on three separate occasions, according to the release.
At a separate business, again in Mar-Mac, Smith allegedly tried to pay with counterfeit bills, but the clerk noticed that the money was fake. He then paid with real cash, according to the release.
Smith was not the only suspect developed by authorities -- a woman who lives at the same address as Smith, Tangela Elise Flanagan, 33, was also charged.
She faces three counts of aiding and abetting a forgery and three counts of aiding and abetting to obtain property by false pretenses, according to the release.
In a separate investigation by the Goldsboro Police Department, Smith was a suspect in the circulation of counterfeit money at the Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market on Tommy's Road, according to a release.
On Oct. 3, 2016, the police department received a report of two subjects using fake money at the business, and then another report was filed on April 18 from the Dollar General Store at 209 N.C. 111 South for the same crime, according to a release.
The police found that Smith was allegedly involved in the incident that occurred in October, as was his brother, Monterius Rashon Smith, according to the release.
Monterius Smith is the sole suspect in the April incident, the release said.
Monterius Smith, 31, of the same address as Brandon Smith and Flanagan, was arrested Friday by Goldsboro police. He is charged for possession of a counterfeit bill, uttering a forged instrument and obtaining property by false pretenses for the October incident, and possession of a counterfeit bill and uttering a forged instrument for the April incident, according to the release.
Brandon Smith was given a $40,000 secured bond from the sheriff's office charges and an additional $17,000 secured bond for the police department charges, according to the releases.
Flanagan was given a $22,500 secured bond.
Monterius Rashon Smith was given at $10,000 unsecured bond.