United States Attorney
Northern District of Texas

1100 Commerce St., 3rd Fl.
Dallas, Texas 75242-1699

Telephone (214) 659-8600
Fax (214) 767-0978

COUNTERFEITER SENTENCED TO MORE THAN
SEVEN YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON, WITHOUT PAROLE

Phillip Mark Decker, age 45, of Runaway Bay, Texas, was sentenced today in federal court in Fort Worth, Texas, to 87 months imprisonment, announced United States Attorney Richard B. Roper. The Honorable John McBryde, United States District Judge, also ordered that Decker pay a $15,000 fine. Decker pled guilty in May to one count of passing counterfeit U.S. Federal Reserve Notes. He has been in custody since his arrest in February 2006.

Mark L. Lowery, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service Dallas Field Office said, “We are very pleased with the sentencing. It is further proof that there are consequences to counterfeiting. I am very proud of the hard work the agents did regarding this investigation and thankful for the assistance of the United States Attorney's Office in the successful prosecution of this case.”

Decker admitted that from December 2005 through February 2006, he had passed counterfeit $100 bills at Kohls Department Store and Academy Sporting Goods Store in North Richland Hills, Texas, and at an O’Reilley Auto Parts Store in Arlington, Texas. Decker also admitted that he had been manufacturing counterfeit currency for between 18 months and two years and had passed some of the currency himself and sold some of it for twenty percent of face value. In March 2006 Secret Service agents recovered approximately $17,000 of the counterfeit notes from a storage warehouse in Bedford, Texas.

U.S. Attorney Roper praised the investigative efforts of the United States Secret Service and said, “You don’t want the Secret Service after you. The Secret Service and this office take counterfeiting very seriously and we will use all our resources to prosecute anyone who violates our counterfeiting laws.” Roper continued, “I applaud the tough sentence imposed by Judge McBryde today. Would-be counterfeiters should take heed --- counterfeiting U.S. money can land you in federal prison for a long time.”

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney J. Michael Worley.

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