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Kansas Man Sentenced for Counterfeit Currency and Fictitious Treasury Checks

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U.S. Attorney's Office
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United States Attorney Jan Sharp announced that Deantra Lamar Watson, 42, of Wichita, Kansas, was sentenced today by Senior United States District Judge Joseph F. Bataillon to a sentence of time served for Transportation of Fictitious Obligations of the United States, Possession of Counterfeit Currency, and Possession of a Document-Making Implement or Authentication Feature.  Watson has been in custody for approximately 9 months. There is no parole in the federal system. Upon his release, Watson will serve a 5-year term of Supervised Release.  

On September 2, 2021, Watson was stopped by deputies in Richardson County, Nebraska. Watson was arrested on state charges and a search was conducted of his vehicle. During the search, officers found $3,434.00 in counterfeit United States currency. Officers also found $4,800 in fictitious United States Treasury checks that were purported COVID Economic Impact Payments. Officers found fictitious driver’s licenses with defendant’s picture, but other individuals’ information. Also in Watson’s possession was a book bag which contained blank white plastic cards with mag strips and chips. Law enforcement also found printed images purporting to be Kansas Driver’s licenses that were printed on paper with an adhesive backing as well as paper images of licenses that could be placed on a white plastic card to create an identification. A printer used to make identification cards on white plastic cards was also found. 

“Today’s sentence is a reminder that the United States Secret Service is committed to aggressively investigating and pursuing those who commit financial crimes against citizens of our communities,” said Brandon C. Bridgeforth, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Secret Service Kansas City Field Office. “The success in this case demonstrates the investigative capabilities of the Secret Service and the collaborative efforts of our law enforcement partners. The Secret Service will continue to work with all our counterparts to effectively identify those victimizing our communities and bring them to justice while protecting the financial infrastructure of the United States.”

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service, the Richard County Sheriff’s Office, and the Omaha Police Department.