Former U.S. Secret Service Agent Indicted For Stealing And Using Counterfeit Currency And Making False Statements

Jacksonville, Florida – Acting United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Anthony Eugene Preissig (47, St. Johns County) with stealing counterfeit currency from the United States Secret Service (USSS), passing it at a gas station, and later making false statements about his crimes. If convicted on all counts, Preissig faces a maximum penalty of up to 35 years in federal prison.

According to the indictment, Preissig was a USSS Special Agent assigned to investigate violations of federal criminal laws. Using his position, he stole counterfeit United States currency that the Marion County Sheriff’s Office had seized and submitted to the USSS - Jacksonville office. Preissig then took a counterfeit $100 bill and tried to use it at a gas station in St. Johns County. When confronted, he lied to law enforcement agents about his crimes. Preissig retired from the USSS in 2012.

David Nieland, Special Agent in Charge of the Miami Field Office, Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General, said, “Whenever a law enforcement officer engages in illegal activity, it erodes the public trust. Such actions by few can tarnish the badges of the many who serve to protect America each day. Corruption remains a top priority of the DHS OIG and we remain committed to holding those who violate the public’s trust accountable for their illegal actions.”

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of the federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the Inspector General, the United States Secret Service’s Inspections Division, and the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.  It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Vincent A. Citro.