Three individuals have been apprehended for perpetrating a scam across several states, including North Carolina, in Rutherford County.
On Wednesday, Feb. 26, the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office received reports of several incidents where individuals used counterfeit $50 bills to make purchases at various Dollar Generals. Deputies promptly responded to these locations in order to investigate the matter.
According to deputies, the suspects managed to collect around $1,500 from the various locations they had visited.
Authorities were able to obtain video surveillance from the Dollar Generals the next day and contacted nearby agencies to inform them about the scam.
Deputies made progress in the investigation and successfully identified a potential suspect vehicle. To gather more information, the sheriff’s department utilized Flock technology, which was provided by the Forest City Police Department and the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators used technology to determine that the suspect vehicle had an Illinois license plate and was a 2012 Toyota Camry.
Detectives discovered that the suspects had been carrying out the same scam in several states, including Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, after identifying the vehicle.
Officials successfully identified the suspects involved in the investigation as Nestor Julio Godoy Rivero, a 25-year-old resident of Chicago, IL, Yubeinya Abril Narcise Quintana, a 22-year-old resident of Chicago, IL, and Esteban Marcelo Mijares, a 24-year-old resident of Chicago, IL.
All three individuals faced charges for six counts of possessing five or more counterfeit instruments, obtaining property by false pretense, and engaging in felony conspiracy.
According to the sheriff’s office, every person is currently imprisoned in Indiana.
The investigation into the case is still ongoing.