Cornelius Stewart, a 30-year-old resident of Fitchburg, Wisconsin, has been sentenced to four years in federal prison for producing and distributing counterfeit $100 bills. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley following Stewart's guilty plea on December 9, 2024.
Stewart and his co-defendant, Alex Stubbs, were involved in passing fake $100 bills across various cities in Wisconsin between July and November 2023. The investigation revealed that Stewart supplied Stubbs with counterfeit bills bearing identical serial numbers to use for small purchases, allowing them to receive legitimate currency as change. Stewart also personally used some of the counterfeit bills.
In December 2023, a Dane County Sheriff's deputy attempted to investigate Stewart's car concerning the counterfeit money in Cross Plains, Wisconsin. During this encounter, Stewart fled the scene, dragging the deputy with his vehicle and causing injuries. As a result, he was convicted in Dane County for recklessly endangering the deputy's safety and received a five-year prison sentence in May 2024.
At the time of these offenses, Stewart was under federal supervision due to a prior conviction for manufacturing and passing counterfeit $100 bills in 2019. He had also been federally convicted for similar activities in 2017.
Judge Conley emphasized the need for a substantial prison term to deter Stewart from continuing his counterfeiting activities. "Stewart’s conduct victimized small businesses who were impacted by the losses," Judge Conley stated, highlighting how it undermined confidence in U.S. currency. Consequently, Judge Conley ordered Stewart to pay $6,800 in restitution to affected businesses.
In addition to the four-year sentence for his current offense, Judge Conley revoked Stewart's federal supervision and imposed an additional 15-month prison term, resulting in a total sentence of 63 months.
Alex Stubbs received a 14-month prison sentence on December 12, 2024, for his involvement in distributing counterfeit bills.
The investigation into their activities was conducted by multiple local law enforcement agencies across Wisconsin and included contributions from police departments in Madison and several other cities as well as the Dane County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Secret Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert A. Anderson prosecuted the case.