Lake City Man Pleads Guilty To Manufacturing And Passing Counterfeit Federal Reserve Notes

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that James Steven Hall (47, Lake City) has pleaded guilty to manufacturing and passing counterfeit Federal Reserve notes. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for each charge. A sentencing date has not yet been set. Hall was indicted on May 13, 2015.  

According to court documents, in March 2015, law enforcement received information that Hall had possessed counterfeit currency inside his hotel room in Columbia County. On March 25, 2015, officers from the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Secret Service went to the hotel and made contact with Hall, who allowed the officers to search his room. The search revealed counterfeit $10 and $20 bills that had been hidden between the mattress and box spring. Supplies for manufacturing counterfeit Federal Reserve notes, including a paper cutter, an ink-jet printer, blank paper, a laptop, and used ink-jet cartridges were also found in the room. Hall later admitted to manufacturing a few thousand dollars in counterfeit notes and to passing some of them at local businesses in the Lake City area.

This case was investigated by the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office and the U. S. Secret Service - Jacksonville Field Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein.