Trio Accused Of Using Counterfeit $100 Bills

Three people were indicted on charges that they conspired to pass counterfeit money totalling more than $10,000, said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

Indicted are Barbara Hendricks, 20, of Wilmington, Delaware; Jaonta Scarlett, age 25, of Monticello, New York, and Harlin Mack, age 25, of Hempstead, New York. 

They are accused of traveling to stores in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan in 2013 and purchasing items at large department stores, including WalMart, Meijer, Home Depot and Toys R Us, with counterfeit $100 bills. They would then return the items at different locations of the same store for genuine U.S. currencty, according to the indictment.

If convicted, the defendants’ sentences will be determined by the Court after reviewing factors unique to this case, including the defendants’ prior criminal record, if any, the defendants’ role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation.  In all cases the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

The investigating agency in this case is the United States Secret Service, Toledo, Ohio.  The case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Angelita Cruz Bridges.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  Defendants are entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.