John Sebestyen, 51, Mission Viejo, California, was sentenced to about 3 years in prison for “washing” $1 bills to produce counterfeit $100 bills, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said. In addition, the defendant was ordered to pay $19,900 in restitution.
Sebestyen was the third of three defendants sentenced in the case. Two co-defendants already were sentenced: Courtney Campbell, 38, Bouse, Arizona, (37 months, $18,100 restitution) and Steven Shane Escamilla, 31, Laguna Hills, California, (27 months, $19,900 restitution).
According to documents filed in court, an employee at a hotel in Overland Park contacted police to report that the defendants, who were staying at the hotel, were acting suspiciously.
The defendants deposited trash in containers away from their rooms that contained evidence of criminal activity, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
The defendants washed the ink off $1 bills and reprinted them to look like $100 bills.
They used the counterfeit bills to purchase items from retailers in the Kansas City metro area including Target and Ulta Beauty. In some cases, they returned items and received refunds in genuine currency.
McAllister commended the Overland Park Police Department, the U.S. Secret Service and Assistant U.S. Attorney Leon Patton for their work on the case.