COEUR D'ALENE – Jeffrey Lee Bentley, 43, of Lewiston, Idaho, was sentenced yesterday to 18 months in prison for counterfeiting obligations of the United States, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge also ordered Bentley to serve three years of supervised release following his prison term, and pay a $3,000 fine. Bentley pleaded guilty to the charge in June 2011.

According to court documents, in January and February 2011, Bentley sold an individual $1,800 in counterfeit currency from his home in Lewiston. Several days later, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Bentley’s residence and seized two color printers, high quality paper used in counterfeiting, and counterfeiting templates. Officers also discovered that one of Bentley’s counterfeit notes was passed at a local store in Lewiston.

The case was investigated by the Lewiston Police Department, Whitman County Sheriff’s Office, and the United States Secret Service.