United States Attorney
Northern District of Texas

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

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

TWO COUNTERFEITERS CONVICTED IN TRIALS IN FORT WORTH

In two separate trials held last week in United States District Court in Fort Worth, Texas, two defendants, Clayton Dale Elliott and Clyde Wesley Stringer, were convicted of manufacturing counterfeit currency, announced United States Attorney Richard B. Roper.

A jury convicted Clayton Dale Elliott, age 41 of Haltom City, Texas, of one count of manufacturing counterfeit United States currency, in violation of 18 U.S.C. Section 471. At trial, the government presented evidence that Elliott, aided and abetted by his co-defendants, Cameron Blair Primm, age 34 of Arlington, Texas, and Joshua David Journeay, age 27, of Crowley, Texas, manufactured counterfeit U.S. currency by "washing" the ink off of genuine small-denomination bills and then using an all-in-one printer/copier/scanner to print images of higher-denomination bills on the washed currency paper. The evidence showed that this activity occurred primarily at a townhome in Dalworthington Gardens. Primm and Journeay, who pled guilty to passing and uttering counterfeit currency, testified against Elliott at trial. Judge Means will sentence Elliott on February 12, 2007. By statute, he is eligible for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

In the other trial, the jury convicted Clyde Wesley Stringer, age 51, also of Haltom City, of one count of manufacturing counterfeit United States currency, in violation of 18 U.S.C. Section 471. At that trial, the government presented evidence that Stringer manufactured U.S. currency by operating a similar scheme as Elliott. Stringer “washed” the ink off of genuine small-denomination bills and then used an all-in-one printer/copier/scanner to print images of higher-denomination bills on the washed currency paper. The evidence showed that the counterfeiting occurred at an apartment on Cambridge Circle in Fort Worth, Texas. Elliott is also scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Means on February 12, 2007, and he too faces a maximum statutory sentence of 20 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.

U.S. Attorney Roper praised the excellent investigative work of the Dallas Field Office of the United States Secret Service (USSS) and noted that both prosecutions were the result of a counterfeiting sweep by the USSS in mid-2006. The cases were prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alan Buie.

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