The State - News from Sept. 30, 1987

An unemployed printer turned to counterfeiting to make ends meet, but his colorblindness led to a costly error--he used the wrong color ink, making his phony bills look distinctly phony, the Secret Service announced in San Francisco. Gilbert Gutierrez, 41, of Martinez, was arrested with $10,000 in fake $20 bills, Special Agent Richard McDrew said. Also seized were various printing plates and negatives. The $20 bills were of “poor quality and not very sophisticated,” McDrew said. They were also very easy to spot because the serial numbers and treasury stamp, which are supposed to be bright green, were black. “We learned he (Gutierrez) was colorblind,” McDrew said. Gutierrez could face 15 years in prison if convicted.