Tahlequah Woman Sentenced To 8 Months For Uttering, Passing Counterfeit Obligation

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Alyssia Marie Jae Carey, age 26, of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 8 months imprisonment and 2 years supervised release for two counts of Uttering A Counterfeit Obligation Of The United States, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 472; and for Passing A Counterfeit Obligation Of The United States, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 472. The charge arose from an investigation by the Tahlequah Police Department and the United States Secret Service.

The indictment alleged that on three different days in November 2017, the defendant, with the intent to defraud, passed and uttered counterfeited twenty-dollar and five-dollar Federal Reserve Notes to three different Tahlequah businesses, knowing the Notes were falsely made, forged and counterfeited. The businesses, Clear Creek 66, Hit-N-Run, and Dollar General, reported the receipt of the counterfeit money to the Tahlequah Police Department.  

United States Attorney Brian J. Kuester said, “The local businesses discovered that they had received the counterfeit bills and reported it to the Tahlequah Police Department, which conducted a thorough investigation and with the assistance of the United States Secret Service brought Carey to justice. The prompt recognition and reporting of the counterfeit money was key to the successful investigation and prosecution of the defendant. I urge businesses to continue to keep a watchful eye out for counterfeit money and report it to your local law enforcement agency as soon as possible after you have discovered it.”

The Honorable Ronald A. White, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney John David Luton represented the United States. The defendant will remain in custody pending transportation to the designated federal facility at which the non-paroleable sentence will be served.