SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif-Three people were busted in San Luis Obispo for using counterfeit money across the central coast! These people hit 8 stores in San Luis Obispo. Secret service has been called to help in the investigation. Secret Service's Ventura Office says they seize 8-10 thousand dollars a week in counterfeit money on the central coast.
Now this is how this trio got caught. A man and woman walked into Zoey's Home Consignment's Wednesday. The man picked up an inexpensive item. "He pulled out a hundred dollar bill from his bag handed it to me and I did the transaction and as soon as I took the hundred dollar bill I could feel it wasn't right," says Mare Mank, the Store Owner. His accomplice tried to buy the same 10-dollar item. She counted out 9 dollars and then asked if she could use a hundred dollar bill for the extra dollar.
"I said no I just ran out of change when I made change for your friend, ill take the 9-dollars and well call it good," says Mank. That's when the suspect got flustered and left. Mank called police and officers tracked them down and arrested another accomplice with them. Javier Diestra, Carmen Ramirez, and Raul Ugarte were arrested and charged.
The bills being used were of high quality, they even have the hologram and work with a marker. The case is still being investigated to see how far reaching it was. Investigators say the suspects were traveling from Los Angeles up the coast. Secret Services says during these kind of investigations they try to work back to the person who is printing the money.
