Acting U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced Aug. 11 that a Leesville man pleaded guilty to taking part in counterfeiting $100 bills to purchase prepaid cards.
Deldrick Shykil Fowler, 24, of Leesville, previously of DeQuincy, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen Kay to one count of counterfeiting obligations to the United States. The plea will become final when accepted by U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell.
According to evidence presented at the guilty plea, Fowler helped another unnamed conspirator Dec. 27, 2016, to use a genuine $100 bill to make 58 counterfeit copies. The conspirator then passed $1,500 worth of counterfeit bills at a DeRidder department store in exchange for three prepaid debit cards. The conspirator discarded the unused counterfeit bills in a trashcan at a park. The counterfeit bills were later found and provided to law enforcement officers.
The officers located Fowler the next day and discovered him with two of the three prepaid cards. He had already spent the third card.
Fowler faces up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. The court set a sentencing date of November 3, 2017.
The U.S. Secret Service, Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office and the DeRidder Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Abendroth is prosecuting the case.
