Inver Grove Heights woman charged with passing funny money

To a night pizza delivery driver, the cash he got from a customer in Inver Grove Heights looked a little too blue, and it didn't feel quite right either. Turns out it wasn't.

But the driver didn't realize that until he returned to his shop and learned that the $20 bill was a fake.

Police say that he isn't the only one Cassie Haley passed bogus bills to. She and possibly others have circulated bills of various denominations all bearing identical serial numbers at businesses in the southeastern Twin Cities suburbs in recent weeks, said Lt. Jerry Salmey of the Inver Grove Heights Police Department.

Haley, 27, was charged Monday with two counts of counterfeiting currency and one count of possessing counterfeit currency, according to a criminal complaint filed in Dakota County Court.

Haley allegedly used a fake $20 bill to pay for food delivered to her home around 11:35 p.m. on Feb. 17. It was sandwiched between two legitimate $5 bills she used to pay a $30 tab. Upon returning to his shop, the driver discovered the counterfeit $20 and called police. He identified Haley from a photo line up, which allowed police to confront Haley at her home, the complaint said.

Salmey said police entered Haley's residence and found a printer and scanner in the kitchen along with "sheets of money" sitting on top. The criminal complaint said officers later executed a search warrant and found white paper with the shape of a dollar bill cut out of it, drug paraphernalia and a copy of a lease agreement with Haley's name on it.

Salmey did not know how much of the fake money has been circulated and that police are talking with a "couple others" who might be involved.

The bogus bills "are easy to make and print, but the quality is not there," Salmey said. "You can tell it's not real money."

Salmey said some of the bills don't match up front to back and white edges or shadows are visible. The funny bills all have the same serial number.

Businesses that may have encountered the fake bills are asked to contact the Inver Grove Heights Police Department or their local police agency.

The case is still under investigation, Salmey said.