UTAH COUNTY, Utah, Oct. 7, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — A Murray woman was arrested in Utah County for her part in an alleged counterfeit bill scheme.
A probable cause statement from Utah County said Breanna Marie Archuleta, 24, is facing a charge of forgery, a third-degree felony. Archuleta was transported to the Utah County Jail with her bail set at $5,000.
On Sept. 12, loss prevention agents at the Walmart at 136 W. Crossroads Blvd. in Saratoga Springs reported the discovery of three counterfeit $100 bills, the statement said. Loss prevention agents were later able to use surveillance video recordings from both inside and outside the store to determine that a man wearing a dark jacket, dark hat with a Utah Jazz “note,” and white undershirt exited a dark gray Hyundai Sonata occupied by at least three other people. The driver of the car was a woman, the statement said.
“The male then proceeds into the store where he produces and ‘successfully’ passes three counterfeit $100 bills which were later determined to be $10 bills which had been bleached and re-printed as $100 bills,” the statement said. “This was made obvious by the magnetic strip within the bills which clearly indicates it is a $10 bill, not a $100.”
The day before, the same male suspect was observed in Eagle Mountain producing more counterfeit bills at Ridley’s Family Market. The male suspect arrived at Ridley’s in the same gray Hyundai Sonata, the statement said. When he went into the store he was accompanied by a woman, who also exited the Hyundai Sonata, and who has a large tattoo on her right leg.
The man was wearing the same dark jacket, dark hat with a Utah Jazz “note,” and white undershirt. Utah County detectives were able to obtain a still photograph of the two suspects standing at the cash register at the Dairy Queen located inside the Ridley’s store.
Utah County detectives then posted the photograph on their Facebook profile in an attempt to get help identifying the two suspects. After posting the image on social media, several people called in to identify the woman as Archuleta; one of the people stated they went to school with her. She was contacted by phone and given several opportunities to meet with detectives and explain her involvement but failed to do so, the statement said.
On Sept. 26, detectives located and arrested Archuleta for her involvement in the counterfeit money scheme. Detectives are still working to locate the man allegedly involved in the incidents.
