Austin Lee, Edward N. Pope, Morris O. Mega, Conspiracy to Manufacture and Pass Counterfeit Currency, South Carolina 2013
Austin Lee, a 21-year-old man from Dallas, Georgia, and two of his accomplices, Edward N. Pope, 24, of Roswell, Georgia, and Morris O. Mega, 31, of Smyrna, Georgia, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to manufacture and pass counterfeit currency in federal court in Columbia, South Carolina.
According to the evidence presented at the change of plea hearing, Lee, Pope, and Mega manufactured counterfeit $20 Federal Reserve Notes in Dallas, Georgia, in October 2013. They then traveled to North Augusta, South Carolina, where they passed the counterfeit currency at various restaurants.
The defendants used the counterfeit currency to purchase items, including an iPad at a Walmart in North Augusta, and another iPad at a Walmart in Lexington, South Carolina. Lee was arrested in Lexington while attempting to purchase the second iPad.
The investigation revealed that the defendants had passed 107 counterfeit notes in six states, resulting in losses of more than $6,000.
United States Attorney Bill Nettles stated that the maximum penalty for conspiracy to manufacture, possess, and pass counterfeit currency is imprisonment for five years and/or a fine of $250,000.
The case was investigated by agents of the Lexington Police Department and the United States Secret Service. Assistant United States Attorney William E. Day, II of the Columbia is prosecuting the case.
The defendants will be sentenced after the presentence reports have been prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
Key Facts
- State: South Carolina
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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