ST. GEORGE — A couple was arrested in St. George Thursday for their alleged involvement in making and spending counterfeit money. Together, the two were charged with 21 felonies for the counterfeit bills, among other lesser charges.
When police were notified that $180 in counterfeit $20 bills had been passed at a St. George Walgreens, authorities quickly received a break in the case when management of a St. George motel reported finding approximately 15 sheets of counterfeit bills in a trash can.
At 2:51 p.m. Thursday, the owner of the Sands Motel reported finding sheets of counterfeit $20 and $5 bills in the trash can of the room where the suspects had stayed, according to a probable cause statement filed by the St. George Police Department in support of the arrests.
The owner told police that the suspects were still at the motel.
Police responded to the motel and located two suspects, identified as 34-year-old Fatima Flores Urias and 31-year-old Cody James Infanger, both of Chula Vista, California, the arresting officer wrote in a sworn statement.
During an interview, Urias reportedly told police that she arrived in St. George early Wednesday morning with Niki Sue Harvey and Infanger, whom she referred to as her boyfriend, according to the statement.
The three individuals shared a motel room. Urias said when she woke up, Infanger was printing and cutting counterfeit money in the room, the report stated. Urias said she had also seen Infanger printing counterfeit bills in California and that he had been printing bills for approximately two to three weeks.
Later in the day, Harvey reportedly drove Urias and Infanger to Walgreens on Sunset Blvd. to transfer nine counterfeit $20 bills onto a prepaid credit card, the officer wrote in the statement.
When questioned, Infanger told police he was traveling to Idaho from California with his aunt, Harvey, and his girlfriend, Urias, when the three stopped in St. George.
Infanger said his friend had given him a printer and he had been learning to make counterfeit money over the last two weeks, according to the statement. However, he said Harvey was the one making all the counterfeit bills on his printer for the trip and that she had a criminal history of forgery and fraud.
“Niki (Harvey) and Cody (Infanger) got into a verbal argument because Cody did not have enough real money to drive to Idaho,” the officer stated. “Because they didn’t have enough real money, Niki was trying to make counterfeit bills. Niki told Cody that he needed to put counterfeit bills on her prepaid credit card so they could continue on their trip to Idaho.”
During the investigation, officers located additional counterfeit bills inside Urias’ wallet and in Infanger’s pants pockets, the report stated, as well as the printer and a cutter used to make the bills.
Police also located suspected heroin, methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia in the duo’s possession.
Infanger and Urias were arrested and transported to the Washington County Purgatory Correctional Facility.
The Washington County Attorney’s Office filed an information in 5th District Court accusing Infanger of 11 third-degree felony counts of possession of a forgery device; two class A misdemeanor counts of possession of a controlled substance and giving false personal information to police; and two class B misdemeanor counts of theft by deception and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The Washington County Attorney’s Office filed an information in 5th District Court accusing Urias of 10 third-degree felony counts of possession of a forgery device; two class A misdemeanor counts of possession of a controlled substance; and two class B misdemeanor counts of theft and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Infanger and Urias are scheduled to appear before Judge John Walton in 5th District Court Nov. 7.
As this report is published, Harvey had not been arrested for her alleged involvement in the counterfeit scheme.
Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
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You have to appreciate the cooperation between local businesses and law enforcement, in cases like this.