A Chicago man has been sentenced to over seven years in federal prison for manufacturing and using counterfeit $100 bills. Marquise Shores, 28, produced approximately $92,000 in fake currency using chemicals and a printer at his residence. He then recruited young women through Facebook Messenger, including minors as young as 16, to use the counterfeit money to purchase items from retail stores. Shores instructed them to return the merchandise for real money, keeping most of the proceeds.
Shores pleaded guilty last year to a federal counterfeiting charge. U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Kendall sentenced him on Wednesday to seven years and three months in prison.
The sentencing was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Dai Tran, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the U.S. Secret Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kurt Siegal represented the government.
“Marquise Shores manufactured counterfeit currency and used it to defraud local businesses and enrich himself,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Pasqual. “Our office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute counterfeiters and ensure the integrity of our economy.”
“The U.S. Secret Service is dedicated to combatting crimes that threaten or harm our nation’s financial infrastructure,” said Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Tran. “Counterfeiting not only harms that infrastructure but also hurts law-abiding citizens as evidenced by the businesses defrauded in this case. I’m proud of our agents, and I thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their diligent work on this case.”