Brooklyn Woman Charged with Passing Counterfeit Bills

A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment charging Reneisha Ferguson, aka “Christine Purcell,” age 25, of Brooklyn, New York, with passing counterfeit notes, said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

On or about April 30, 2012, through December 9, 2012, Ferguson exchanged, transferred and delivered false, forged and counterfeited $100 Federal Reserve notes with the intent that the notes be accepted as genuine, according to the indictment.

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violations.  In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and, in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.

The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by the United States Secret Service and the Fairlawn Police Department.   The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David M. Toepfer.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.