Yavapai County deputies seize supplies to produce $1.25M in counterfeit cash, arrest 2

PHOENIX— Two people were arrested after Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office deputies uncovered a multistate counterfeit cash operation, authorities said.

Deputies made the bust near Ash Fork along Interstate 40, about 50 miles west of Flagstaff.

Leeclark Fallah, 40, of Las Vegas, and Kenneh Pisco, 46, were taken into custody last Tuesday on charges of forgery, criminal possession of a forgery device, money laundering, criminal simulation and fraud schemes, the sheriff’s office said in a statement Tuesday.

Deputies with the office’s Special Crimes Unit and K9 Unit searched the suspects’ vehicle and found a suitcase containing a safe, according to a news release. Inside, investigators found specialized paper used for currency production, ink, gloves and partially printed $100 bills.

Investigators determined the suspects were engaged in a “bill washing” scheme, a process in which ink is removed from genuine currency and reprinted in higher denominations. The seized materials were sufficient to produce approximately $1.25 million in counterfeit currency, authorities said.

“The Special Crimes Unit successfully intercepted a sophisticated operation that undermines the integrity of the American economy,” Sheriff David Rhodes said.

This case wasn’t a sting or a tip, said authorities, just a deputy “following the clues.”

“This case is the product of strong investigative work,” Yavapai Sheriff’s Office media liaison Paul Wick told KTAR News 92.3 FM.

Despite the alleged scheme crossing state lines, making it a potential federal crime, it remains a Yavapai County case.

Charges against Fallah and Pisco were filed this week in Yavapai County Superior Court. Neither have entered a plea.

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