Man Held as Suspect in Counterfeiting

A Florida man has been arrested in Simi Valley for allegedly using a personal computer and ink-jet printer to produce more than $140,000 in counterfeit U.S. currency in Simi Valley and Florida, authorities said.

On Thursday, Simi Valley police detectives and agents from the U.S. Secret Service arrested 54-year-old Kenneth W. Buschman of Palm Harbor, Fla., after officers allegedly found $117,000 in phony $20s and $50s in a Simi Valley storage locker, according to James Bauer, Secret Service special agent in charge, in Los Angeles.

Officers went to the Public Storage facility, 4568 E. Los Angeles Ave., late Wednesday after getting a call about suspicious circumstances at the storage unit, said Simi Valley Police Sgt. Fred James. Officers discovered the alleged counterfeit money and then notified Secret Service agents.

Authorities confiscated about $117,000 in counterfeit bills from the unit, as well as a personal computer, a 12-gauge shotgun and chemicals used to make the fake bills, Bauer said.

“The money was created on a personal computer and printed on an ink-jet printer,” Bauer said. “It was of fairly good quality and it was passable.”

Buschman was arrested and turned over to federal authorities in Santa Barbara, said Bauer.

On Friday, Secret Service agents found another $24,000 in $20, $50 and $100 denominations, inside a Tampa, Fla., storage locker, Bauer said. That money is also tied to Buschman, he said.

Bauer advised the public to pay close attention to the portrait on bills. If a counterfeiter leaves tell-tale signs of their work, it often shows up in the portrait, he said.

The investigation is continuing.