YOU READ IT HERE FIRST: Two Union County ex-cons thought that using a special marking pen would convince employees at the Mahwah Home Depot on Route 17 that counterfeit bills they passed weren’t fake, but workers sniffed them out — and police arrested both.
A township police officer and a detective from Ramsey grabbed the pair as they left the store yesterday afternoon after passing a $100 bill, Mahwah Police Chief James Batelli said this morning.
Besides the pen, which is used to mark forgeries, officers found the two with other bogus bills bearing serial numbers consistent with funny money passed at other businesses in both municipalities, he said.
“Local Mahwah businesses as well as surrounding towns have received numerous reports of bogus $100 and $50 bills being passed in recent months,” the chief said.
In virtually every instance, the thieves bought relatively small-value items with the larger bills and pocketed the change, he said.
Officer Brendan Mullin was met at the Home Depot around noon yesterday by Ramsey Detective Bradford Smith, who identified the defendants’ car after checking with various businesses along Route 17 in his town.
Together, the two officers took Tyshon Phipps, 34 (above, left), of Roselle, and 35-year-old Edward Fish (above, right) of Linden into custody.
“Invoices from stores in other jurisdictions were found in their possession,” the chief said, adding that an investigation was continuing.
By using the counterfeit detection pen — which produces a yellowish mark on notes printed on standard printer or photocopier paper — the defendants hoped to dupe employees into thinking that the bills “has already been swiped and were legitimate currency,” Batelli said.
It didn’t work.
Phipps and Fish were charged with forgery. Phipps also was charged with theft and obstruction — for giving police false ID — and Fish with conspiracy, Batelli said.
Both were being held on $10,000 bail each in the Bergen County Jail pending charges out of Ramsey.
MUGSHOTS: Courtesy MAHWAH PD
