Two women from New York have been charged in a case of trying to use counterfeit bills to make purchases at Target stores in Plainville, North Attleboro, Seekonk and Connecticut.

Counterfeiting schemes could be considered larceny in Attleboro — a form of theft. In most cases, suspects use fake bills in order to make purchases. Many times, these cases can be difficult for police to discover unless the cashier checks the bills on the spot. However, counterfeiting can also be a federal crime investigated by the U.S. Secret Service.

Trying to piece together video footage and witness testimony after the fact and link a person to the crime can be a tricky proposition for the police. While the technology behind the government’s printing of dollars has gotten better in recent years, there are still people willing to try to literally print money.

For those who are arrested, an experienced Massachusetts defense attorney must be hired in order to investigate all the facts and look at the evidence police intend to use against the defendant. It may be possible, in some cases, for the evidence filed by police to be suppressed if rights were violated in the process. That happens only depending on the specific circumstances of the case, however.

In this case, The Sun-Chronicle reports, two woman were allegedly conducting a scheme where they would use counterfeit money to buy electronics at stores and then attempt to exchange them at other stores for the cash.

“They were doing some type of flim-flam, buying I-pods and I-pads at Target, using counterfeit money to buy them, and returning them to other Targets to get real money,” said Plainville Police Sgt. Scott Gallerani.

According to the newspaper’s report, several thousand dollars in counterfeit money were confiscated by officers. 24-year-old Iyanah Wright of Hempstead, New York, and 22-year-old Shannon Hoskins of Freeport, New York, have been arrested.

The newspaper reports that Wright was arrested after a foot pursuit in the parking lot of a Target store in Plainville. Hoskins was found by store security and held there. Both women now face charges of possession of counterfeit notes, receiving stolen property and conspiracy. Wright also faces a charge of resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.

According to police, detectives in Seekonk and North Attleboro are now investigating to see whether the women may be connected to alleged incidents there. Connecticut authorities may be, too. The women reportedly have open cases in New York of a similar situation.

There may also be a man who is involved as a “lookout” in connection with the incident. The women were set for an arraignment in Wrentham District Court.

Proving that the women knew the money to be counterfeited may be a challenge for police. The fact that they may have committed the crime in different areas has no bearing on these individual cases. If they are charged with committing the crime in Connecticut, an Attleboro jury likely won’t know that. They must determine guilt based on the incident that allegedly happened in that area. That may be tough in this case.

Massachusetts Criminal Lawyer Michael DelSignore represents clients facing serious misdemeanor and felony charges throughout the state.

The Law Offices of Michael DelSignore are conveniently located in Stoughton, Attleboro, New Bedford and Westborough.

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