Faux Dough: Former Somerville Officer Charged With Passing Fake Bills

SOMERVILLE, MA – A former Somerville police officer is in hot water for allegedly trying to pay a bar tab with fake bills, according to the Middlesex County District Attorney's office. Alessandro Capobianco, 40, of Somerville, was arraigned Friday in Cambridge District Court on charges he tried to fool staff with the faux dough at a hotel bar in Cambridge earlier this year.

Around 3 a.m. on Feb. 3, police were called to a hotel on Memorial Drive by an employee who showed officers two $20 bills and a $50 bill believed to be fake. Capobianco had allegedly tried to pay for food and drinks around three hours earlier with a credit card he did not have; when that failed, he allegedly used the counterfeit cash, the DA's office said.

Authorities said the bills Capobianco allegedly used were made of a lower quality of paper and lacking security strips, watermarks and embossments found on legitimate currency.

Capobianco is charged with uttering a counterfeit note, possession of a counterfeit note and defrauding an innkeeper under $100. He will next appear in court on May 22.

Editor's Note: This story was written using information provided by the Middlesex County DA's office. It does not imply a conviction.

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