Cornelius Stewart, a 30-year-old resident of Fitchburg, Wisconsin, has been sentenced to four years in federal prison for producing and distributing counterfeit $100 bills. U.S. District Judge William M. Conley handed down the sentence following Stewart's guilty plea on December 9, 2024.
Stewart and his co-defendant Alex Stubbs were implicated in passing fake $100 bills across various cities in Wisconsin between July and November 2023. Investigations revealed that Stewart supplied Stubbs with counterfeit bills bearing identical serial numbers to use during small transactions, thus receiving significant change in legitimate currency. Stewart also used some of the counterfeit money himself.
In December 2023, a Dane County Sheriff's deputy attempted to investigate an incident involving counterfeit money in Cross Plains, Wisconsin. During this encounter, Stewart fled the scene with the deputy being dragged by his vehicle, resulting in injuries. For this act of recklessness endangering safety, Stewart was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison by Dane County authorities in May 2024.
At the time of these offenses, Stewart was under federal supervision due to a prior conviction for similar counterfeiting activities dating back to 2019. He had also faced federal charges for counterfeiting in 2017.
Judge Conley emphasized the need for a substantial prison term given Stewart's repeated involvement in counterfeiting crimes. The judge highlighted how these actions harmed small businesses and undermined trust in U.S. currency. As part of his sentence, Stewart must pay $6,800 as restitution to affected businesses.
In addition to his current four-year sentence, Judge Conley revoked Stewart’s federal supervision status and imposed an extra 15 months imprisonment, totaling a sentence of 63 months.
Co-defendant Alex Stubbs received a separate sentence from Judge Conley on December 12, 2024—14 months imprisonment for his participation in distributing counterfeit bills.
The investigation into their activities involved multiple local law enforcement agencies including police departments from Madison and other surrounding areas as well as the Dane County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Secret Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert A. Anderson led the prosecution.