Police: 2 printed, used fake cash in GR

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - Two men are in custody for allegedly printing and using counterfeit money in Grand Rapids.

Police haven't said how much of the money had been used by the time the two men were busted Sunday morning.

According to police, Joel Brisbin and Glenwood Brown were arrested after Brisbin tried to use a fake $100 bill at a gas station on the corner of 28th Street and Breton Road.

Police said the clerk used a marker to check authenticity. That is when Brisbin fled, but not before the clerk got a license plate number and car description.

Wyoming police caught up with him and found a new printer and papers with $20 and $100 bills on them.  

Brisbin told police he wasn't working alone and led them to his accomplice, Brown, who was staying at the Extended Stay Hotel nearby on 29th Street. Police searched him and found a fake $100 bill.

Police said they were caught just a few hours after buying the machine used to print the fake cash.

Brown has previously been arrested on counterfeiting charges at least twice in another state. There is a warrant for his arrest out of Pennsylvania for counterfeit charges.

To spot a counterfeit bill, the US Secret Service says to compare the bill with others and look at key features, like the face and border. On a real bill, the lines are clear and the face has dimensions, whereas a fake is flat and has blurry lines.   

If you do get a fake bill, don't give it back to the person. Instead, remember as much as you can about them -- what they look like, who they're with, their vehicle -- and then call police.

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More tips from the US Secret Service on how to spot counterfeit money