Police arrested a Hollister resident running a one-man
counterfeiting operation out of his home and trying to cash fake
$100 bills Saturday.
Police arrested a Hollister resident running a one-man counterfeiting operation out of his home and trying to cash fake $100 bills Saturday.
David Quintero, 27, was arrested for felony manufacturing counterfeit bills, a federal offense, by San Benito County Sheriff’s deputies, aided by Hollister police officers.
Police were alerted to the situation after Quintero attempted to cash a fake $100 bill at Cycle City Gas around 8 a.m., according to Sheriff Lt. Pat Turturici.
The store clerk refused to accept the bill because it looked fake, and contacted the police and gave a description of the vehicle Quintero was driving after he left the store, he said.
“It was not a very good $100 bill – it was pretty amateurish,” Turturici said. “It was off-cantered and didn’t look real at all,” he said.
To make the bill, Quintero used a type of chemical solution to bleach a $5 bill, then photo copied a $100 onto the bleached $5 bill, said sheriff’s deputy Dave Zander.
The bill looked like a regular $100 bill, except without the correct water marks and other security measures placed on currency to thwart counterfeiters, he said.
“It’s pretty darn easy – I didn’t realize how easy it is,” Zander said. “If you’re an untrained person and don’t take a good look at it, you’re gonna take the bill. I guess the majority of bills get caught when they go to the bank.”
Zander was in his patrol car in front of Jerry’s Diner when the call came in and saw a SUV drive by fitting the description of Quintero’s vehicle, Turturici said.
“He was at the right place at the right time, basically,” he said.
Zander followed Quintero to his home at the Quintero Labor Camp on Wright Road, where he ran the license plate on the SUV, found out who owned it and discovered Quintero was on parole for a previous drug-related charge, Turturici said. He was also arrested for felony parole violation.
Quintero had run about a half mile down the road and was hiding in his grandmother’s house, but quickly surrendered, Zander said.
“He gave himself up with the help of family members,” he said. “His mom convinced him to come talk to us.”
Police officers and sheriff’s deputies then searched Quintero’s home and found a color copier, two sheets of white paper with a copy of a $100 bill on each, several pieces of carbon paper and a faded $5 bill torn in half, Turturici said.
After confiscating the counterfeiting equipment, the sheriff’s department turned over the evidence to the Secret Service, which investigates all instances of counterfeiting, Zander said.
Deputies did not find any other counterfeit bills and believe it was Quintero’s first attempt at passing fake money, Turturici said.
“He was checking it out,” he said. “He was an amateur – just getting started on his craft.”
