Police, Secret Service investigate fake bills

Ryan Carter

The arrest of a North Hollywood woman has police concerned about

where she received several counterfeit bills.

Burbank Police arrested Fanny Gallegos, 32, at Sears in the Media

City Center after she allegedly tried to pass a $100 bill while

buying computer printer cartridges.

The cashier became suspicious of the bill and called security,

Police Sgt. John Dilibert said.

During a consent search at her car, local police found seven

counterfeit $100 bills and enough marijuana to consider it possession

for sales, Dilibert said.

The large dollar amount of bills concerned police and agents from

the U.S. Secret Service, who are investigating the incident. The U.S.

Secret Service is a law- enforcement arm of the Department of the

Treasury.

“One bill is usually not a big deal, but you get two or three and

you are probably getting them from somewhere,” Dilibert said.

Dilibert said the passing of counterfeit bills was more common a

couple of years ago in the city. A combination of enforcement and

smaller denominations of bills probably not reported as crimes might

have led to the reduction, police said.

“Occasionally, the mall still gets bills that are counterfeit and

so too at the AMC [theaters,]” Dilibert said.

Ryan Carter