South Florida Man Sentenced For Manufacturing And Passing Counterfeit Federal Reserve Notes

Jacksonville, Florida – United States District Judge Brian J. Davis has sentenced Ralph Darel Lipsey (28, Miramar) to 30 months in federal prison for manufacturing and passing counterfeit Federal Reserve notes. As part of the sentence, the Court ordered Lipsey to pay restitution to the various businesses he defrauded.  The Court also ordered Lipsey to forfeit the monetary proceeds he obtained by passing the notes, as well as the computer media he used to manufacture them.  

According to court documents, in January 2015, Lipsey and his co-defendants, Marcos Rogelio Blake and Leon White, passed or attempted to pass counterfeit Federal Reserve notes at multiple businesses in Nassau County. Law enforcement officers subsequently issued an alert for the three men. On January 17, 2015, a deputy from the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office stopped a vehicle with the three men inside. Blake, who was driving the vehicle, was detained due to a suspended license. During a search, the deputy found genuine and counterfeit bills on Blake. An inventory search of the vehicle yielded $1,600 in additional counterfeit notes and a lock box. The lock box contained computer media and supplies used to manufacture counterfeit bills.

Marcos Rogelio Blake (25, New York) and Leon White (30, Orlando) previously pleaded guilty for their roles in this case. Blake was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison and White was sentenced to time served, followed by three years of probation.

This case was investigated by the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Secret Service, Jacksonville Field Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein.