Man charged with using counterfeit cash at marijuana shop
A man was in Ferndale 43rd District Court on Thursday for a probable cause hearing on charges of passing counterfeit money to buy weed at a marijuana store.
Suspect, Brad Wheeler, 42, of Troy is charged with uttering and publishing counterfeit bills, a five-year felony.
The incident happened Feb. 23 when police say Wheeler went to buy marijuana at the Gage Cannabis
Co. store, 1551 Academy.
Wheeler, who is now free on personal bond, is accused of trying to buy a large amount of recreational marijuana with money than included fake bills.
“He gave an employee at the store about $1,600 in cash of various denominations,” said Ferndale police Detective Brendan Moore.
While employees were examining the money they became suspicious of some of the bills, police said.
“They noticed about $140 worth of the bills were counterfeit,” Moore said, “and called police.”
Police arrived at the store and talked briefly to Wheeler.
Asked where he got the counterfeit money, police said the suspect told them he got it from working at a pizzeria.
“After that he asked for a lawyer and didn’t talk to us anymore,” Moore said.
The counterfeit money that authorities say Wheeler tried to pass was all in $20 bills.
However, officers kept all $1,600 from the suspect as evidence in the case against him, Moore said.
The seven bogus $20 bills were obvious as counterfeit after they were examined at Gage Cannabis and by investigators, he added.
Police said the bills were missing common hallmarks of legitimate cash notes, such as a security thread, a portrait watermark and color-shifting ink.
Counterfeit bills are sometimes made for films but are stamped with a red “movie prop” mark, Moore said.
Similarly, fake bills used to train Chinese bank clerks have red lettering on them that, when translated, says the bills are not legitimate currency and to be used only for counting practice.
Bills with the red Chinese markings started showing up over a year ago in more than a half dozen states, including Michigan, in money scams.
Wheeler on Thursday was scheduled to reappear for a preliminary examination hearing on the evidence against him in Ferndale court at 2 p.m. March 11 to determine whether he will stand trial.