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PKG | Two men charged in alleged counterfeiting scheme


CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. -- Thanks to the quick response of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department (JCSD), two men are behind bars after they allegedly tried to cash an American Express travelers check early Wednesday morning.

"One of the things that's nice about an office that we have is that you get to make a real difference,” said Sheriff Pete Dougherty, speaking of his close-knit staff. “It's never dull and boring here."

According to deputies with the JCSD, it all started when a radio dispatch came in around 3:30 a.m. Wednesday about a counterfeit check attempted to be cashed by two men at the Hollywood Casino in Charles Town.

A deputy with the department, Corporal Joseph Forman, responded to the call, and was able to track down the car, which drove off. Deputies say they tried to pull the car over near Route 9 and Curie Road. Officials say the brief pursuit ended near Route 9 and Leetown Road.

"The vehicle that the bad guys were in, [the Corporal] spotted, came across the median and chased them down, got them to stop,” Dougherty said.

After pulling the suspects over, Forman allegedly found almost $20,000 worth of fake money and traveler’s checks inside the car.

"I noticed [one of the suspects] sitting [inside the courthouse] and I think the magistrate was setting the bond at [about] $500,000,” said Douglas Walker, a resident of Berkeley County.

After their arrest, the suspects were later identified as 28-year-old Nicholas McCullen and 45-year-old Henderson Forde.

According to Dougherty, both suspects may be linked to other counterfeit crimes.

“Probably nobody…thought that we would be involved in a case that we are now hearing as many as six to eight other states are looking for these guys,” said Dougherty. “Hundreds of thousands of dollars in forgery and uttering."

"The saying is 'You do the crime, you’ve got to do the time,'” said Walker, who witnessed the deputies bringing in the two suspects to see the magistrate. “I'm glad to see that justice was served and they were apprehended, and hopefully they'll get what's coming to them."

Coincidentally, the Jefferson County deputy who arrested the men and discovered the counterfeit currency, Corporal Forman, was not technically a corporal yet at the time of the arrest.

Forman was promoted from deputy first class to corporal in a scheduled swearing-in ceremony only a few hours after the bust was made.

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Investigative Reporter | Crime Reporter | Broadcast Journalist | West Palm Beach | #Newshound | Award-winning Journalist | Florida Reporter

Merris Badcock | Investigative Reporter | Crime Reporter | Broadcast Journalist | West Palm Beach | #Newshound | Award-winning Journalist | Florida Reporter

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