Bradenton Man Gets Prison Time For Counterfeiting After Using Fake $10 Bill At Store: DOJ

BRADENTON, FL — A 54-year-old Bradenton man has been sentenced to 36 months in federal prison after trying to use a counterfeit $10 bill at a Boca Grande grocery store.

Dennis Michael Aigotti pleaded guilty to possessing and passing counterfeit Federal Reserve notes in October, according to a Department of Justice news release.

In addition to prison time, the court also ordered Aigotti to forfeit his laptop and color printer.

According to court documents, on May 18, Aigotti attempted to pass a counterfeit $10 bill at Hudson’s Grocery Store. After the cashier indicated that the bill was counterfeit, he left the store and authorities were called.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office located Aigotti and found multiple counterfeit notes, a printer, laptop, resume paper and scissors when they searched his vehicle. During the investigation, the United States Secret Service recovered a total of $410 in counterfeit currency.

At the time of the offense, Aigotti was on federal supervised release for passing and counterfeiting Federal Reserve notes. He was sentenced to credit for time served for the supervised release violation.