Loudon County man arrested on counterfeiting charges
LENOIR
CITY — A Loudon County man faces felony charges of counterfeiting
U.S. currency after authorities allege they found fake bills and the
tools to make more inside his Greenback residence Tuesday.Joey Eugene Riden, 44, is charged with three counts of criminal simulation, as well as one count of violation of the state sex offender registry and one count of failure to appear.
The Loudon County Sheriff's Office, along with two U.S. Secret Service agents, executed a search warrant on Riden's Jones Drive residence. Investigators allegedly found several $1, $5, $10 and $20 fakes, as well as copy paper, spray paint and a genuine $20 bill left inside a scanner/printer, according to a media release from Sheriff Tim Guider.
Several misprints also allegedly were found.
Riden allegedly admitted to producing the counterfeits, the release states, although none of the fakes apparently made it into circulation.
He is being held without bond.
Riden was convicted of aggravated rape in 1991, according to the state sex offender registry.
Guider warned that counterfeiting could be on the rise during the upcoming holiday season when long lines at stores make it easier to pass the fake bills.
GREENBACK, Tenn. (WVLT) -- An investigation into the production of counterfeit U.S. currency in Loudon Co. has led to the arrest of Jody Eugene Riden, Sheriff Tim Guider announced on Thursday.
Guider said Riden was found in a home in Greenback along with fake $1, $5, $10, and $20 bills as well as some misprints. None of bills made it into circulation, he added. Investigators also found a printer, copy paper, and spray paint in the home and in the printer was real $20 bill.
Riden was charged with three felony counts of Criminal Simulation, each carrying a $10,000 bond; a lone count of Violation of the Sex Offender Registry, which carries a $5,000 bond; and a single count of Failure to Appear. The case is expected to picked up by the feds for prosecution.
Brittany Bahrenfus handles thousands in cash everyday as a convenience store clerk. "There's been several times where I would get fake 20's or fake 10's," she said.
She's hip to the scheme now. "We mark both the front and back of bills." Using a counterfeit pen on every bill worth more than a buck. "And it will show up as yellow for real bills. It shows up brown or black for fake bills," she said.
Cops say fake money is on the rise in East Tennessee, and as holiday shopping season kicks into high gear investigators expect to see more. Usually it's fives, tens, and twenties.
"Store clerks are real busy and will change that out without even looking at it," said Loudon sheriff's Investigator Jeff Russell.
Counterfeit money not only ends up in the cash register of businesses. It could wind up in your wallet. But there's a simple trick for you to spot a fake.
"The texture of the paper is a big thing. If you feel one that doesn't feel right, reach in the drawer get another bill and feel the difference. You can really tell if there's a lot of difference. Look for your watermarks, your stripes inside the bill. Take time to look for it," Russell said.