Man charged with passing counterfeit bills
Published 9:53 pm Wednesday, October 14, 2009
A Franklin man was arrested Tuesday and charged with the passing of $360 in counterfeit money at a Suffolk business in September.
Joseph Ashburn Jr., 30, of the 500 block of Ashton Street, was arrested and charged with two counts of forgery of bank notes, two counts of uttering forged bank notes, two counts of obtaining property by false pretense, one count of petit larceny and one count of possession of counterfeit bank notes. He posted bond from Western Tidewater Regional Jail.
According to a city news release, Ashburn was identified by residents who called Crime Line after surveillance video allegedly captured him purchasing shoes at the Athlete’s Foot in the 900 block of North Main Street on Sept. 4. Ashburn allegedly passed six counterfeit $50 bills and three counterfeit $20 bills, as well as allegedly stole a cap, before leaving the store.
Detectives received tips after the surveillance video was shown by local news media. He was arrested in Smithfield Tuesday. Police recovered a cap matching the one the suspect was observed stealing at his residence, the city press release said.