OCEAN CITY — A local man was arrested last week on multiple counterfeiting charges after a drug arrest earlier this month led to the discovery of a phony money-making operation at his residence in Berlin.
Ocean City Police last week arrested Christopher C. Simone, 35, of Berlin, for possessing and manufacturing counterfeit U.S. currency. The investigation was initiated after detectives located counterfeit currency in a vehicle Simone was driving during a drug bust in Ocean City on New Year’s Day.
On Jan. 1, OCPD narcotics detectives were conducting surveillance and observed Simone driving a vehicle with a suspended Maryland driver’s license. OCPD detectives conducted a traffic stop near 59th Street and during a subsequent search located heroin, drug paraphernalia, a large fixed-blade knife and a police-style baton.
In addition, the detectives located counterfeit currency in the vehicle. Simone was arrested and charged with possession or heroin and two counts of possession of a deadly weapon. He was held on a $25,000 bond.
The OCPD Criminal Investigation Division detectives and members of the Worcester County Criminal Enforcement Team continued to investigate the counterfeit currency and executed a search warrant on Simone’s home in Berlin. During the search, detectives located more counterfeit currency and equipment used to print the phony money. The serial numbers on the counterfeit money in the home matched those on the bills found in Simone’s vehicle as well as serial numbers from a counterfeit case in Wicomico County.
Simone was released from the Worcester County Jail on Jan. 7 after posting bond in the prior case from Jan. 1. Two days later around 1:40 p.m. on Jan. 9, detectives located Simone and arrested him for felony charges resulting from the Jan. 1 search, with assistance from the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office. Simone has been charged with two counts of knowingly possessing counterfeit U.S. currency, scanning digital images of U.S. currency with intent to defraud, and manufacturing U.S. currency with intent to defraud. Simone was taken before a District Court Commissioner and was transferred to the Worcester County Jail on a $250,000 bond.
Citizens are advised the following counterfeit serial numbers were used by Simone: #ML80574368D, #MA82495055A, and #IC47767665. Anyone who may have been a victim of the counterfeit scam is urged to contact Detective Dave Whitmer at 410-520-5390, or [email protected].