Charges Dropped Against Accountant in Counterfeiting Scheme
The U.S. attorney’s office has dropped charges against an accountant accused of masterminding a plan to flood South America with $2.5 billion in bogus U.S. bills.
Officials refused to say why they had dismissed the case against Gary K. McMurtry, 46, of La Habra. “Basically, it came down to office policy,” Assistant U.S. Atty. Lawrence Middleton said Wednesday. “I can’t comment beyond that.”
Phil Bronson, McMurtry’s attorney, said his client appears to have been led on by the Secret Service.
“It looks from the preliminary facts that I’ve seen that there could have been an entrapment defense if this had gone to trial,” Bronson said.
McMurtry, who had been imprisoned without bail as a flight risk, declined to comment.
On June 6, at a news conference, Secret Service agents displayed $10 million in high-quality counterfeit $100 bills that they said belonged to McMurtry.
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