A Chicago resident, Marquise Shores, has been sentenced to seven years and three months in federal prison for manufacturing counterfeit $100 bills. The operation involved using chemicals and a printer at his home to produce approximately $92,000 in fake currency.
Shores employed Facebook Messenger to recruit young women, some as young as 16, to use the counterfeit bills at retail stores. These recruits would purchase merchandise and then return it for real money, with Shores keeping most of the proceeds.
Last year, Shores pleaded guilty to a federal counterfeiting charge. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Kendall.
The announcement came from Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, along with Dai Tran, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the U.S. Secret Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kurt Siegal represented the government in this case.
“Marquise Shores manufactured counterfeit currency and used it to defraud local businesses and enrich himself,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Pasqual. He emphasized that their office will continue working with law enforcement partners to address counterfeiting issues.
Special Agent Tran highlighted the impact of such crimes on financial infrastructure and praised both agents and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their efforts: “Counterfeiting not only harms that infrastructure but also hurts law-abiding citizens as evidenced by the businesses defrauded in this case."
