March 7, 2012

KNOXVILLE, Tenn.- Patrick Bernard Hayes, 43, of Knoxville, Tenn., was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Thomas A. Varlan to serve 40 months in federal prison for his role in a conspiracy to manufacture counterfeit U.S. currency. Hayes previously entered a guilty plea to the counterfeiting charge, admitting that between March 1, 2011, and March 20, 2011, he and a co-defendant used all-in-one inkjet printers and other materials to manufacture counterfeit U.S. currency. Hayes and his co-defendant were apprehended in March 2011, when they attempted to pass counterfeit U.S. currency at the Great Smokies Craft Fair in Kodak, Tenn.

The investigation into Hayes’s conduct was led by the U.S. Secret Service, with valuable assistance provided by the Sevierville Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Bolitho represented the United States.