Man Charged In 2022 Counterfeit Bill Scheme: Darien Police

DARIEN, CT — A New York man was charged in connection with a counterfeit bill scheme that ocurred in 2022, according to the Darien Police Department.

Officers responded to the Dutchess County Sheriff's Office in Pughkeepsie, N.Y., on April 23 to take custody of James Breland, 24, of Brooklyn, who was being held there on unrelated charges, police said in a crime summary update.

Breland was extradited to Connecticut where he was charged with first-degree forgery, sixth-degree larceny and two counts of conspiracy, police said.

Police said the arrest stems from an incident that occurred on Sept. 25, 2022.

On that date, officers went to the Stop & Shop on Old Kings Highway North on a report of a counterfeit bill passed the day before, police said.

Three men were reported to have passed $80 in counterfeit bills, police added, noting that other similar incidents occurred in CT and NY and the same three suspects were involved.

Breland was identified as one of the suspects, police said, and an arrest warrant was granted with a court-set bond of $35,000 on Dec. 8, 2022.

Breland is scheduled to appear in Stamford Superior Court on July 15.