A husband and wife from Albert Lea, Minn., have admitted to participating in a counterfeiting ring that duped businesses from the Twin Cities to Iowa into taking the bogus currency.
Heather A. Cameron, 34, pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday in Minneapolis. She is one of eight people who have now owned up to counterfeiting and passing many thousands of dollars in U.S. currency. Her husband, Travis A. Cameron, 31, entered his plea Monday.
Heather Cameron admitted that from late last year until June, she chemically washed $5 bills and reprinted them as $100s, then spent the bills. Travis Cameron admitted producing altered bills and selling them for 50 cents on the dollar.
The Camerons and the others hit businesses stretching from Bloomington and Burnsville to Mankato, Rochester and into Iowa.
Authorities said that the bills were altered by washing legit currency with oven cleaner, then using a color printer to make higher-valued cash.
