Counterfeit Bills Passed at Palmer Park Mall

A woman was charged Tuesday with using two counterfeit $20 bills to help pay for merchandise at a Palmer Park Mall store, and may have been carrying another 68 counterfeit $20s, court records say.

When a township police officer searched the suspect, Tonya R. Green, 44, of Lehigh Township, he found the additional $20 bills totaling $1,360. But it’s not certain whether they are counterfeit.

Officer Patrick Clinese said he took custody of the money “until its authenticity can be made,” the records said.

A criminal complaint filed by Clinese said the incident involving Green and the money began shortly after 6:30pm Tuesday when he was dispatched to Claire’s, a store specializing in fashion accessories and jewelry.

He was told a woman later identified as Green was still inside the mall.

A Claire’s employee told Clinese the woman bought $173.05 in merchandise with nine $20 bills. The employee completed the transaction, but had noticed that two of the bills appeared to be white in color.

The two bills were later tested with a special marker that indicated they were counterfeit, the complaint said.

The employee told Clinese the woman was currently inside the nearby Victoria’s Secret wearing a gray Ed Hardy sweater and dark-colored jeans. Clinese approached the woman – Green – and brought her back to the Claire’s store.

The Claire’s employee identified Green as the person who passed the two counterfeit bills, the complaint said.

At Palmer police headquarters, Clinese searched Green and found 68 more $20 bills that need to be tested.

Green, of the 900 block of Woodland Drive, was charged with forgery – a level-two felony – and theft by deception.

She was arraigned at 11:30pm Tuesday by on-duty District Judge Todd Strohe of Bangor and committed to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $7,500 bail.