SCRANTON - The United States Attorneys Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on Sept. 29, 2020, Courtney Murray, age 22, of Slingerlands, New York, and Rashaun Ferguson, age 26, of Flushing, New York, were indicted by a federal grand jury for passing counterfeit U.S. currency.
The indictment was unsealed following the arrests of the defendants. According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, the indictment alleges that Murray and Ferguson conspired to pass counterfeit currency between September 2019 and April 2020.
They also are charged with multiple counts of passing approximately $14,000 in counterfeited Federal Reserve Notes in the denomination of $20, in Luzerne and York Counties, New Jersey, New York, and Maryland.
This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and various state and local police departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip J. Caraballo is prosecuting the case. Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged by indictment are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. The maximum penalty under federal law for the most serious offenses is 20 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
-- U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Pennsylvania
Source: U.S. Secret Service