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Florida suspects accused of creating counterfeit money hid bills in a Bible: MCSO

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Published  June 9, 2025 11:14am EDT
Florida
FOX 13 News

The Brief

    • Three Florida men and a woman are accused of creating counterfeit currency and spending it in Martin County.
    • Investigators say the counterfeit bills were originally legitimate $10 bills that had been bleached and reprinted to appear as $100 bills.
    • Anyone who believes they received one of the counterfeit $100 bills is asked to contact the Martin County Sheriff’s Office.

MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. - An eagle-eyed grocery store clerk in Florida helped bust an organized counterfeit currency scheme, according to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office.

The backstory:

Deputies say the four suspects split up and used counterfeit $100 bills to make small purchases at no fewer than nine different stores in Martin County, defrauding businesses and circulating fake currency throughout the area.

READ: Woman killed, man hurt after fight leads to stabbing at park: HCSO

When one of the suspects tried to use one of the counterfeit bills at a grocery store, investigators say a clerk spotted the fake money and alerted their manager, who called the sheriff’s office.

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Courtesy: Martin County Sheriff's Office

Wessly Aurelio Cuyuch, 31, ONeill Aubrin, 34, and Ali E. Martinez-Conde, 34, all of Broward County, were located and arrested.

READ: Man admits to killing parents in Largo, describes it as 'righteous kill': PCSO

A pregnant woman was also located and taken into custody, but she ended up going into labor and was taken to an area hospital. A warrant for her arrest is forthcoming.

Dig deeper:

During the investigation, detectives seized thousands of dollars in counterfeit $100 bills hidden inside the suspects’ vehicle, including 13 fake bills stuffed inside a Bible found in the glove box.

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Courtesy: Martin County Sheriff's Office

Investigators say the counterfeit bills were originally legitimate $10 bills that had been bleached and reprinted to appear as $100 bills. At the same time, the altered bills looked authentic and could pass a quick inspection.

Counterfeit detection pens were also ineffective because the paper stock was authentic U.S. currency — only the printed denomination had been fraudulently altered.

What you can do:

Anyone who believes they received one of the counterfeit $100 bills is asked to contact the Martin County Sheriff’s Office.

The Source: This story was written with information posted by the Martin County Sheriff's Office. 

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