Counterfeit Bills Discovered In Two Chase ATMs, FBI Makes Arrest

Counterfeit bills that were discovered in two Chase ATMs in New York City have lead the FBI to arrest a man, who has since been accused of embezzlement.

The man, Gene Carlo Pena, 26, reportedly replaced real cash with counterfeit bills in several of the bank’s ATMs, according to Yahoo! News. Pena worked at a company that services ATMs in Manhattan.

Authorities believe that the man put fake bills in the ATMs in the hopes of avoiding detection after he stole a substantial amount of real cash. However, the counterfeit currency was detected easily by the cash machines, and also by customers (most likely because they were blank on one side).

Word of the heist first came to light earlier this month, when customers at two Manhattan Chase banks complained that they were receiving fake bills. In most cases, the ATMs were able to separate the bad bills, but a few made their way into the hands of confused customers.

It is also unclear so far how much money was stolen. Earlier reports said the amount was $110,000, but more recent estimates put it at $11,000.

The New York Times reports that Gene Carlo Pena is an employee with NCR Corporation. He was arrested at 4:10 pm after he arrived on a Jet Blue Flight from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, according to FBI spokesman J. Peter Donald. He will be charged for stealing around $78,000, as well as counterfeiting currency.

The theft was discovered on October 8. It is not yet clear when the case regarding counterfeit bills in ATMs will go to court.