We may be living during the rise of Bitcoin, but passing counterfeit money as legitimate cash is still a federal offense. United States Secret Service agents, with Phoenix special agents, arrested Adrian Jean Pineda at a Tempe, Arizona Home Depot for passing $387,500 in counterfeit money.

The defendant will appear in Phoenix federal court to face charges for the violating 18 USC 472 – Uttering of Counterfeit U.S. Currency.

The Secret Service alleges Pineda purchased counterfeit $100 bills, used as props for entertainment, and then swapped them for Home Depot’s authentic $100 bills. Agents said Pineda did this for 3 /12 consecutive years, without before being caught by authorities.

Prop money is sold for film use or entertainment purposes. The bills are lighter than real cash, and are often slightly smaller than real currency. Prop money looks very authentic visually, but the bills are also marked with the words “PLAY MONEY” printed in lieu of the serial number.

The cost for a package of 100 prop $100 bills is about $9. Every bill looks authentic, with features such as Benjamin Franklin’s face, the line next to his face, and coloration. However, since the fake bills are very light and have no texture, handling the bills is nothing like the experience of holding genuine currency.

Adrian Jean Pineda was hired for an entry-level job at the Tepe Home Depot in 2018, yet worked closely with the money. He was a vault associate in the busy Store, with daily duties including counting money from the registers, placing the cash in sealed bags, and then depositing the cash at a local Wells Fargo Bank. His approximate pay her hour was about $9 an hour.

Over 3 1/2 years, Wells Fargo kept discovering fake $100 bills mixed in with real currency inside the Tempe Home Depot’s bagged, sealed deposits. The losses kept growing at Home Depot, so they finally contacted the US Secret Service in December, 2021.

By the time the agency became aware of the counterfeit scheme, which occurred from August 2018 to January 2022, the losses were hefty, at $387,500.

Agents charged Pineda with stealing the authentic currency from Home Depot’s cash deposits and replacing them with the prop money.

“The Secret Service was originally formed in 1865 to enforce federal laws against counterfeiting,” said U.S. Secret Service Phoenix Field Office Special Agent in Charge Frank Boudreaux Jr. “This case illustrates the continued commitment of the Secret Service and the US Attorney’s Office to investigating and prosecuting counterfeit violations. Yesterday’s arrest and search warrant operation marked the culmination of a strategic investigation enacted by Phoenix special agents, Home Depot security personnel and Wells Fargo Bank. I’m extremely proud of the hard work and dedication of all involved and thank our partners for their commitment and vigilance.”

The US Secret Service said that upon his arrest, the defendant had $5,000 in counterfeit money and $5,300 in real currency. After executing a search in Pineda’s home, the agents unearthed $22,000 in genuine cash.

When agents subpoenaed Pineda’s Amazon records, they discovered that the alleged counterfeiter bought about the same number of counterfeit bills as the genuine ones missing from Home Depot.

If found guilty, Pineda will face fines plus up to fifteen years in prison.