A federal jury has found Jacob R. Kirkley, a resident of Bismarck, Illinois, guilty on five counts related to counterfeiting U.S. currency. The verdict was delivered on December 4, 2024, in Urbana, Illinois. Kirkley is scheduled for sentencing on May 2, 2025.
The government presented evidence over two days that showed Kirkley sold counterfeit currency to an undercover officer from the Illinois State Police on multiple occasions between December 2023 and January 2024. During a search of his residence in January 2024, authorities recovered additional counterfeit currency and items used for its creation.
This conviction follows a previous one in 2022 when Kirkley was found guilty of manufacturing and passing counterfeit currency after being caught with over $20,000 in fake bills. At that time, he was discovered with equipment used for making counterfeit money in his hotel room.
Kirkley is currently held by the United States Marshals Service until his sentencing date. He faces potential penalties of up to twenty years in prison and a $250,000 fine per count.
The investigation involved several agencies including the Springfield Division of the United States Secret Service and the Vermilion County Metropolitan Enforcement Group. Supervisory Assistant United States Attorney Eugene L. Miller represented the prosecution at trial.