Reno couple pleads guilty to felony counterfeiting charges
Submitted by editor on Wed, 09/10/2014 - 12:28pm
A Reno couple pled guilty Wednesday in a Sacramento federal court to possessing counterfeit U.S. currency and counterfeit or unauthorized access devices, U.S. Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner said.
William Theodore Lewis, 50, and Lori Marie Dahl, 50, a married couple, remain in custody and are scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Kimberly J. Mueller on Dec. 10, 2014. Lewis and Dahl each face a maximum statutory penalty of 25 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and five years of supervised release.
According to court documents, on May 14, 2013, the Angels Camp Police Department received a call from a Save Mart employee, reporting that a man had attempted to pass a counterfeit $20 bill. The chief of the department responded to the scene, identified a man matching the description the caller gave, and arrested Lewis. A search of Lewis’s person produced three additional counterfeit $20 bills.
After Lewis’s arrest, law enforcement searched the hotel were Lewis and Dahl were staying and the stolen rental vehicle they had driven from Reno.
Law enforcement found evidence of counterfeiting activity including wholly and partially printed counterfeit U.S. currency in various denominations, a printer, and various solvents and equipment associated with the manufacture of counterfeit currency.
Law enforcement personnel also found evidence of access device fraud and identity theft in Lewis and Dahl’s room at the motel and in the vehicle. They possessed more than 1,000 unauthorized or counterfeit access devices such as credit, debit, and prepaid cards. Additionally, law enforcement found access device-making equipment including blank plastic cards, seals, and hologram stickers, and a card printer to be used for printing credit cards. They also possessed several lists with personal identifiers and information of many individuals.
This case is the product of an investigation by the United States Secret Service and the Angels Camp Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Nirav Desai is prosecuting the case.
