Anthony Lamar Thomas, 40, of St. Louis, Missouri, was sentenced today in federal court in Pocatello to 21 months in prison for passing forged obligations and securities of the United States, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Thomas’ sentence will be served concurrently with a sentence imposed in Utah on December 2, 2010, on two counts of forgery and one count of false personal information. U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ordered Thomas to serve three years of supervised release following his prison term and to pay $1,648.71 in restitution. Thomas pleaded guilty to the charge on March 25, 2011.

According to the plea agreement, on August 22, 2010, at Lowe's Home Improvement Store in Idaho Falls, Idaho, Arlene Rivera passed three counterfeit one-hundred dollar bills and two fifty-dollar bills. Rivera used the counterfeit money to pay for a power tool, which Thomas then returned in exchange for genuine U.S. currency. Thomas must also pay restitution to 18 different merchants in Pocatello, Idaho Falls, Ammon and Rexburg for counterfeit bills passed to those businesses. Arlene Rivera was sentenced on April 12, 2011, to three years of supervised release and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $2,348.71.

The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service; Idaho Falls Police Department; Pocatello Police Department; Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office; West Yellowstone, Montana, Police Department; West Valley, Utah, Police Department; and Provo, Utah, Police Department.