Shopper uses fake cash at Walmart and CVS but Dollar Tree rejects the bills, feds say

A New Jersey man purchased $2,590 in products from multiple stores in Pennsylvania with counterfeit money, but Dollar Tree refused to accept the fake money, according to federal authorities.

The 35-year-old man from Mercer County was indicted by a federal grand jury May 16 in the Middle District of Pennsylvania, according to a news release.

Authorities said he and an unidentified woman spent $1,400 at a Michaels store in Dickson City on April 20, 2022, and paid for it using fake $50 bills.

That same day, they used $750 in counterfeit money at a CVS Pharmacy in Scranton, according to court records.

Three days later, authorities said the man traveled to a Walmart in Montoursville and bought $280 worth of product using counterfeit $20 bills. He then used $160 in fake money at a Weis Market in the same city, officials said.

But when he and a female co-conspirator went to a Dollar Tree store in Bloomsburg on April 23, 2022, an employee stopped them from using fake money to buy merchandise, according to court records.

The man is charged with one count of conspiracy to pass counterfeit obligations, four counts of passing counterfeit obligations and one count of attempting to pass counterfeit obligations.

If he is convicted, authorities said he’ll face up to 20 years in prison for each charge.

This story was originally published May 18, 2023 at 9:21 AM with the headline "Shopper uses fake cash at Walmart and CVS but Dollar Tree rejects the bills, feds say."