LEE COUNTY, Fla. — A fire in a Fort Myers condo building helped deputies uncover a counterfeit currency operation that was hiding in plain sight.
Firefighters were called to the Spring Lake Condominium community off Cypress Lake Drive shortly after midnight on Thursday. An electric bike inside Unit 101, a first-floor unit, caught fire while charging.
“I heard a boom and a dragging noise and then a boom, boom, boom,” said John Fernandez, who lives above the condo where the e-bike caught fire. “It sounds like explosions. All I saw was a block of smoke and white and smells like smoke and fire.”
As part of their investigation, firefighters began collecting information from people who lived at the home. One man, later identified as Daniel Smith, 42, told investigators his ID was inside and gave his name and birthday for investigators to verify.
When deputies with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office searched for Smith’s name, they found he had a warrant for his arrest. But this wasn’t just any warrant: Smith was wanted by the U.S. Secret Service for counterfeiting currency.
That’s just the start. While frisking Smith, deputies found nearly a dozen $50 bills, which detectives say are counterfeit.
Inside the home, deputies found printers loaded with money already printed on paper, along with counterfeit cash.
According to LCSO, this isn’t the only case of counterfeit currency they’ve been investigating. Over the last six months, detectives investigated a total of 25 different cases.
Counterfeiting U.S. currency is a federal crime. If convicted, a person could face up to 25 years in prison, along with a $250,000 fine.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is now working alongside the U.S. Secret Service.
Smith will be taken into the custody of the Secret Service.