Occurred on 7/8/12, 3:30 pm   Forgery     5400 SPID Moore Plaza     1207080090/1207080097/1207080100/1207080106/1207080113 

Officers responded to World Market at Moore Plaza for counterfeit money being used.   Upon their arrival, Officers located the unoccupied suspect vehicle in the Marshall’s parking lot.  Officers set up on the vehicle and waited for the suspects.  Shortly thereafter, Hector Ruiz (08/13/1985) was seen driving away in the vehicle and pulled him over.

Further investigation revealed, Ruiz along with his two accomplices were involved in passing forged $100 bills to several stores in the Moore Plaza shopping center.  Officers were able to confirm World Market, Rue 21, Kirkland’s, Pets Mart, and Bed, Bath and Beyond were victims of the counterfeiters.  Several other business in the shopping center have been contacted as possible victims.

Ruiz was arrested and charged with five counts of Forgery of a Government Instrument/Money/Securities along with Manufacture with Intent to Sell Counterfeit Instruments.  Each charge is a 3rd Degree Felony and punishable by up to 10 years and a fine up to $10,000.  During their impound inventory, Officers found a laptop, printer and scanner along with store merchandise inside the vehicle.  His two accomplices are still outstanding.  The second suspect is described as a Hispanic female, 24 years of age, 5’2″ feet tall with black hair and brown eyes.  The third suspect is described as Hispanic male with designs on one side of his hair and dressed in black.

The Corpus Christi Financial Crimes Unit along with the United States Secret Service who handles counterfeit money crimes will be working closely together to conduct a thorough investigation.  They recommend you visit the Secret Service website at http://www.secretservice.gov/money_detect.shtml to guard yourself against counterfeiters.

Anyone with any information on this crime is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 888-TIPS or login online and submit a tip.  Callers will earn a cash reward if the suspects are charged with a crime.