PARAGOULD, Ark. — A Paragould man is facing seven felony charges after investigators say he used counterfeit money at four local businesses in a single morning.
Cody L. Lamb, 32, was formally charged Wednesday in Greene County Circuit Court with four counts of first-degree forgery and three counts of theft of property with a prior conviction, according to court records.
Officers responded June 2 to a local business for a report of counterfeit money being used, according to a probable cause affidavit. Surveillance footage identified Lamb as the man who used $160 in counterfeit money to load a prepaid debit card, the affidavit states.
Around the same time, a second business reported a man had used $60 in counterfeit money to purchase a fuel card. Surveillance footage from that business also identified Lamb, according to the affidavit.
A third business reported a man had tried to use counterfeit money to buy parts. An employee recognized the bills as counterfeit and declined the purchase, and the man fled the store, the affidavit states. The employee provided investigators with the rewards program information the man used during the attempted purchase. The rewards account belonged to Lamb, according to the affidavit.
Officers later found Lamb hiding in the basement of his last known address, the affidavit states. After being advised of his rights, Lamb admitted to using counterfeit money at the three businesses, according to the affidavit. He also identified a fourth business where he had used $40 in counterfeit money to buy merchandise earlier that morning. Officers confirmed that purchase through the business’s surveillance footage, the affidavit states.
In all, investigators say Lamb passed $260 in counterfeit currency.
Lamb has a previous theft conviction, which elevates the theft charges to felonies under Arkansas law, according to the affidavit.
First-degree forgery is a Class B felony punishable by five to 20 years in prison. Theft of property with a prior conviction is a Class D felony punishable by up to six years. Prosecutors also filed a habitual offender allegation stating Lamb has more than one but fewer than four prior felony convictions, which could subject him to an extended prison term if convicted.
Lamb was released on a $40,000 bond. Conditions of his release include GPS ankle monitoring, no contact with victims or witnesses, surrender of his passport and weekly check-ins with the sheriff’s office, court records show.
He is scheduled for arraignment July 28 in Greene County Circuit Court in Paragould.
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