Cold Spring Man Accused of Passing Counterfeit Money
A 27-year-old Cold Spring man was arrested on charges stemming from his alleged involvement in passing counterfeit United States currency to a business in the Village of Cold Spring.
According to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department, on Jan. 6, the Village of Cold Spring Police Department received complaints from village store owners reporting that they were in receipt of several counterfeit ten dollar bills. After conducting the initial investigation, Cold Spring police officials contacted the Sheriff’s office for assistance.
Investigator Robert Ferris of the sheriff’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation was assigned to the case. Through his investigation, he learned that on January 5, Robert E. Phillips, a 27-year-old Cold Spring resident, used the phony money to purchase alcoholic beverages at a Main Street pub.
Phillips was arrested on Jan. 24 and charged with second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, a class “D” felony. He was arraigned before Village of Cold Spring Justice Thomas Costello and remanded to the Putnam County Correctional Facility in lieu of $25,000 cash bail or $50,000 secured bond. He is due back in court on Feb. 8 at 10 a.m.
The investigation into the counterfeit money is continuing by Investigator Ferris along with agents from the United States Secret Service.
If convicted as charged, Phillips may be sentenced to a term of incarceration for up to seven years in a New York State correctional facility as determined by a court.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.
