The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a New York City man pleaded guilty Tuesday before Senior United States District Judge A. Richard Caputo to the charge of conspiracy to pass counterfeit United States currency.
According to United States Attorney Peter J. Smith, John Roldan, age 48, of Queens, New York, admitted to participating in a conspiracy to pass counterfeit United States currency in the Monroe County area. Roldan and another individual, Maribel Vasquez, age 46, also of Queens, New York, were arrested after an incident in April 2011 in which Roldan and Vasquez each used a counterfeit $100 bill to purchase merchandise at the Target store located in Stroudsburg, Monroe County. Officers from the Stroud Regional Police Department later conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle in which Roldan and Vazquez were traveling and seized approximately $7,000 in counterfeit United States currency.
The case was investigated by the Stroud Regional Police Department, the United States Secret Service, and Target store security personnel.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara.
In this particular case, the maximum penalty under the federal statute is 5 years’ imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant’s educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
