Counterfeit bills found in W.Va. man's car

October 04, 2000

Counterfeit bills found in W.Va. man's car

By DAVE McMILLION / Staff Writer, Charles Town

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - Police found about $1,800 worth of counterfeit money in a car during a traffic stop last Saturday, and later found more counterfeit money and equipment capable of making counterfeit money in a house in Ranson, Charles Town Police alleged.

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The discovery was made after Charles Town Police noticed an odor of marijuana coming from inside a car as it passed through a drunken-driving checkpoint police had set up at East Washington and Court streets about 12:20 a.m., according to Cpl. Steve Harris.

After he got out of the car, the driver was asked if he had any marijuana, Harris said.

The man pulled a clear plastic bag of suspected marijuana from his coat pocket, according to a criminal complaint filed in Jefferson County Magistrate Court.

Harris searched the blue Oldsmobile and found 18 counterfeit $100 bills in the center console and a counterfeit $20 bill under the ashtray, the complaint alleged.

Paul Vincent Rosner, 18, of 110 4th Ave. in Ranson, was charged with possession with intent to utter counterfeit currency and possession with intent to deliver marijuana, according to court records. He was freed on bond, Harris said.

When police asked why he had the counterfeit money and where he obtained it, he said he made the money at his house with a computer, according to allegations in the complaint.

He told police he made the counterfeit money that officers found in the car for someone whom he refused to identify, the complaint alleged.

Police obtained a search warrant and found about $200 worth of additional counterfeit money at his house, the complaint said.

In an adjacent room, police found a computer system with images of counterfeit bills on a hard drive and other equipment capable of making counterfeit money, including a scanner and a printer system, the complaint alleged.

Harris declined to speculate on how the operation was used, but said it was fairly elaborate.

Police also found fake identification cards at the house and were investigating to determine if those were made there, Harris said.

Police seized all of the computer equipment in the house, Harris said.

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