Yvonne Geneal Flores, Counterfeit Currency Production and Passing, …

A Sacramento woman has admitted to flooding Northern Nevada businesses with fake $100 bills in a brazen counterfeiting operation that spanned nearly seven months. Yvonne Geneal Flores, 38, pleaded guilty today in federal court to producing and passing counterfeit currency, facing up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is set for June 5, 2017, before U.S. District Judge Miranda M. Du.

Flores, alongside co-defendant Thomas Michael Morla, 42, manufactured and distributed counterfeit $100 Federal Reserve Notes between October 7, 2015, and May 5, 2016, in Reno, Carson City, and Sparks. Their scheme unraveled when Hertz Rental Car reported Morla in possession of an embezzled Mercedes in Carson City. During his arrest, law enforcement found counterfeit bills in his possession—directly linking him and Flores, who was listed as an authorized driver on the rental contract, to the crime.

A search warrant executed at Flores’s residence turned up over $6,000 in counterfeit currency, along with a laptop, scanner/printer, and other equipment used to produce the fake bills. Investigators from the U.S. Secret Service confirmed that nearly $50,000 in counterfeit $100 notes recovered from local businesses matched the same face and back plate numbers, check letters, and quadrant identifiers—tying them conclusively to Flores and Morla’s operation.

“It is a federal crime to make, forge, alter or counterfeit a Federal Reserve Note,” said U.S. Attorney Daniel G. Bogden for the District of Nevada. “Individuals who make counterfeit currency are attempting to cheat and cause damage to businesses and the U.S. economy. We will continue to protect the U.S. economy and seek prosecution of individuals who engage in counterfeiting currency.”

Morla, who pleaded guilty earlier to the same charges, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison. His cooperation and the digital trail left by the pair’s printing methods helped build airtight evidence against Flores. The Secret Service noted the sophistication of the operation exceeded typical street-level counterfeiting, suggesting prior experience or external sourcing of templates.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian L. Sullivan. Authorities warn businesses to remain vigilant in inspecting high-denomination bills, especially in tourist-heavy areas where counterfeiters often test their fake notes.