By Eric Francis, Standard Correspondent
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION – Two brothers from the Bronx who were allegedly making their way across the region passing off counterfeit hundred dollar bills had their crime spree brought to a sudden halt on Wednesday afternoon with their arrest in Woodstock.
Jeffrey and Steven Medina, 24 and 23 respectively, were each ordered held for lack of $25,000 bail on Thursday at court in White River Junction after they entered innocent pleas to multiple counts of counterfeiting. Their alleged passing of fake hundred dollar bills now ranges from Hanover, New Hampshire, to Springfield, Vermont, police said.
Mac’s Market, Woodstock Home and Hardware, Maplefields, and Woodstock Hops and Barley were all merchants where the brothers either cashed or attempted to cash fake hundreds, Woodstock Police said Wednesday night. Hartford Police are also investigating possible passing of counterfeit bills by the Medina brothers in their area as well.
Woodstock Police said late Wednesday the pair had been positively identified by victimized merchants as the duo who had been going into businesses along Route 4 and making small purchases, claiming they only had a $100 bill with them, and receiving substantial amounts of real currency as change for the large bill.
After receiving a complaint mid-afternoon, dispatchers put out a “be on the lookout” description of a “dark skinned Hispanic male” and the vehicle the pair were reportedly driving and moments later Woodstock Police Corporal James Otranto spotted it pulling out of the Mac’s Market parking lot and stopped it near Woodstock Sunoco.
Sgt. Joe Swanson said a subsequent search of the car turned up over $3,000 in small bills “consistent with change being made” along with several receipts for transactions from stores which indicated that hundred dollar bills had been repeatedly tendered for purchases throughout the day.
Police in Bellows Falls and Lebanon, New Hampshire, had joined the investigation by Wednesday afternoon and were looking into reports that the pair may have passed counterfeit bills to businesses in their towns as well.
The men were lodged at the Springfield jail.
Woodstock Police are asking any other merchants who think they might have been targeted by the suspects, whether they actually accepted the fraudulent bills or not, to call Woodstock Police Sgt. Swanson at 802-457-1420.