Suspected Counterfeitters Charged in Southington

SOUTHINGTON, CT — Two men from the Philadelphia area are in custody on $50,000 bonds after being arrested in Southington in a couterfeit case involving multiple area retail outlets, police said.

Antonia Cora, 27, of Philadelphia, and Nicholas Herne, 34, of Chester, PA, are both due in court again on Oct. 5 after Monday arraignments, according to judicial sysztem records.

According to an arrest report from Southington police, police recieved a call at 5:14 p.m. on Sept. 7 about a man trying to pass a fake $100 bill at the Bed, Bath and Beyond store, 825 Queen St.

The bill was not accepted, the man left the store and the store manager saw him get into a Jeep Grand Cherokee with a New York registration information. The manager also followed the vehicle to Buffalo Wild Wings, 750 Queen St., while calling police to report the incident.

Police arrived and found Cora exiting the restaurant returning to the Jeep, which was occupied by Herne, a report indicates. Cora had attempted to purchase food at the restaurant using a counterfeit $100 bill, but was turned away, police said.

Investigators determined that Cora and Herne both allegedly entered multiple stores and restaurants in the area and either made purchases or tried to buy items using counterfeit $100 bills, according to a report.

Bags from Petco, Dollar Tree, Chipotle, Mission BBQ, Chik-Fil-A, Pet Valu, Kohl’s, and Gamestop were all found in the vehicle. Clerks from the stores were able to identify them, police said.

Cora was charged with two counts of first-degree forgery, two counts of sixth-degree larceny, and related conspiracies.

The United States Secret Service was also notified and the counterfeit bills were seized as evidence, police said.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock; Southington PD (L-R Cora, Herne)

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