Howell Pair Apprehended For Passing Fake $20 BillsHowell Pair Apprehended For Passing Fake $20 Bills

12/3/13 - Some funny money being passed around Brighton led to the apprehension of a pair of alleged counterfeiters in Howell on Friday. Police from Howell and Brighton, along with agents from the Livingston and Washtenaw Narcotics Enforcement Team, or LAWNET, tracked down the 32-year-old man and 38-year-old woman at their home on Curzon Court. Brighton Police Chief Tom Wightman says his department received several complaints from businesses in Brighton and surrounding communities about counterfeit $20 bills being passed. He says the couple used copying machines to print the fake bills on special paper, made purchases to collect real money as change, then spent the money on drugs. Local charges against the pair are unlikely, and the whole case was turned over to the U.S. Secret Service. The woman was released at the scene pending federal charges, while the man was arrested by authorities from another municipality on a warrant stemming from a different case. Wightman encourages local businesses to know how to spot counterfeit money, including feeling for the correct paper and spotting the security devices in the bills. Follow the link below for a guide from the Secret Service on how to spot the security measures in US currency. (TD)