Crime & Safety
New York Man Facing More Forgery Charges in Stamford
The man is facing charges to a number of incidents in which he allegedly attempted to use fake bills all bearing the same serial number at various stores around the city.
A New York man charged with forgery in Stamford in November of last year, after police said he was found to be in possession of a quantity of fake $20 bills, is facing new charges relating to that previous incident after more stores were found to have allegedly fallen victim to his scheme, police said Tuesday morning.
According to Sgt. Steve Perrotta, 61-year-old John E. Flowers, of 601 114th Street in New York City, NY, was arrested on November 16, 2013, after a loss prevention officer at the Stop & Shop on Alvord Lane flagged down an office on patrol and told him Flowers had just attempted to use a fake $20 bill while making a purchase.
Officers were able to identify Flowers still at the scene and a search of his person revealed him to be in possession of 17 counterfeit $20 bills in his pockets, all carrying the same serial number, Perrotta said.
While officers were dealing with Flowers, Stamford officers working extra-duty jobs at the Stamford Town Center reported three stores there who had also received fake $20s from the man. Each of the bills in those incidents carried the same serial number as the bills found on Flowers, according to Perrotta.
He was charged with 26 counts of first-degree forgery. Now, police are adding a number of additional charges following the discovery of a number of stores in the area who were passed fake bills, which Perrotta said each also carried the serial number of the bills in which Flowers was found to be in possession during his first arrest.
Four stores stores on W. Main Street in Stamford reportedly had at least one transaction with Flowers, Perrotta said. Those stores and the number of bills passed there were:
• Grade A, one fake bill
• Carvel, two fake bills
• Subway, four fake bills
• ShopRite, none passed as they spotted the fake currency prior to the transaction being completed.
During a court appearance at Stamford Court Tuesday morning relating for the previous arrest, police charged Flowers with seven counts first-degree forgery, one count attempt at sixth-degree larceny and two counts sixth-degree larceny.
Perrotta said Flowers claimed not to know the bills were fake and believed they were real.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
