Occurred on 7/24/12, 8:36 am  Forgery of a Government Instrument/Money/Securities   701 N. Staples     1207240031 

Officers A. Thurman and J. Luera responded to the Stripes Convenience Store at Staples and Leopard Streets for a Hispanic trying to pay with a counterfeit $100 dollar bill.  Rene Tanguma (08/16/81) was detained in the parking lot by Officer Luera. 

Officer Thurman contacted the store cashier who reported Tanguma stepped up to the counter to pay for beer and a cigar valued at $3.01 with a $100 dollar bill.  The cashier told Officers the bill felt odd and it had not been cut correctly.  She checked for the watermark and could not find one. 

Tanguma was asked to wait while she got his change and police were called.  Tanguma paid for the merchandise with a $5.00 dollar bill and walked out of the store when he was detained by police. 

He was taken to the Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division and interviewed by Financial Crimes Detectives.  Tanguma was arrested and charged with Forgery of a Government Instrument/Money/Securities which a 3^rd Degree Felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

The Financial Crimes Unit recommends you visit the Secret Service website at http://www.secretservice.gov/money_detect.shtml to guard yourself against counterfeiters.