Granville Police arrested three Brooklyn, N.Y. natives in the Morgantown area for passing counterfeit bills from Jan. 30 to Feb. 4, according to Granville Police.
Police found $4,300 in fake $100 bills used at Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, Target, and Wal-Mart in the University Town Center.
"They would take $5 bills and bleach them and copy a $100 bill and print over that, so the print of the $100 was over the $5," said Sgt. Matthew Allen with the Granville Police Department, "that's what would allow the ink test or the pen test to pass on the bill."
The only way to tell the difference was through the watermark. Instead of the image of Benjamin Franklin, the bills still show Abraham Lincoln.
"Unless you held it up to the light and really looked and saw Abraham Lincoln on the bill itself, you'd never know that it was a bogus bill," Allen said.
At the same time, a separate investigation by the West Virginia State Police was in the works. Investigators there were looking into fake $100 bills used to buy merchandise there.
"They found approximately 15 counterfeit $100 bills that had been passed within a day or two time period," said Sgt. James Branham. "We also had some video of some possible suspects."
That was the one element that tied all of the crimes together; video surveillance of the same group of people.
The State Police coordinated with Granville and the Secret Service to track down their suspects.
On Monday, Granville and Westover Police arrested Imani Nykia Walker, 23, Terrell Christopher McQueen, 28 outside of the Lowe's in Granville, after store personnel tipped them off.
"After they gave me the plate number, which I was going to run, I got another phone call from the Secret Service and Agent Summers," Ptl. Mike Campbell of the Granville Police Department said, "asking me if I had received that licence plate and I said ‘yeah' and he said, 'well loss prevention just called me, he said they're at the store now at the Westover Lowe's.'"
State Police then obtained a search warrant for the Super 8 Motel in the Glenmark Center after Walker and McQueen gave information about a third individual involved.
Upon searching the motel, State Police found Junell Nixon, 33, of Brooklyn N.Y., with counterfeiting evidence that tied all three individuals to the various incidents that occurred around Monongalia County.
Nixon was arrested on scene. State Police said he is also wanted for homicide in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Walker and McQueen are currently lodged in North Central Regional Jail with bails set at $95,000.
Nixon is also currently in North Central Regional Jail with no bail set.
State Police said they believe another person is involved but are not releasing any names at this time.
Since none of the suspects have any discernible ties to the area, police suspect that Monongalia County may not be their only target. They will continue coordinating with the Secret Service in the investigation.
Imani Nykia Walker, 23
Terrell Christopher McQueen, 28
Junell Nixon, 33
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