Charges laid against alleged counterfeiters

Eight charges have now been laid against a man alleged to have been operating an amateur money counterfeiting operation inside a Penticton motel room earlier this year.

Rylan Mogge, 32, is facing two counts of forgery, along with single counts of making counterfeit money, possessing counterfeit money, possessing forged documents, possessing stolen property, possessing a controlled substance and breach of a court order. A warrant was issued for his arrest this week, and he’s due back in court April 21.

Samantha Chappell, 22, is coaccused on five of the offences, and set to make her first appearance in court May 5.

According to court documents filed by the RCMP to obtain a warrant in the case, Mogge came to the attention of police on Feb. 4, after he allegedly fled from a traffic stop on an electric motorcycle.

Officers later found the bike at the Pass Motor Inn and set up surveillance. Mogge was arrested soon after for dangerous driving in connection with the earlier incident, and is alleged to have had in his possession a wallet containing four counterfeit bills — two $50 and two $100 — a fake Manitoba driver’s licence in someone else’s name and a small amount of fentanyl.

A subsequent search of the motel room, in which Chappell was present, turned up a stolen B.C. driver’s licence, counterfeit $50 and $100 bills, a box of blank cheques, 12 cheques made out to Mogge, and identity documents belonging to at least two other people.

Also retrieved were photocopies of Canadian money, cheques and altered money, plus three printers and a laptop computer.