IL man whose counterfeit money ended up in St. Clair, Madison counties is going to prison

An Effingham man on Wednesday was sentenced to four years and 10 months in prison and fined $1,000 for manufacturing counterfeit money.

According to a press release from the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, counterfeit bills manufactured by Jared Sapp, 29, were recovered in Madison, St. Clair, and Effingham counties, and as far away as Colorado, court documents show.

Sapp’s counterfeiting dates back to at least 2016. Several Effingham businesses reported in 2017 and 2018 they had been paid counterfeit money later traced back to Sapp.

He also used counterfeit money to pay for used goods on websites or applications like “letgo.com” and “craigslist.com,” the press release noted.

All told, law enforcement recovered at least 201 counterfeit bills Sapp manufactured totaling $4,715, according to the press release.

Sapp was arrested in April 2020 with two printer/scanners and a pile of counterfeit $20s in the trunk of his car.

The United States Secret Service, the Effingham City Police Department, the Granite City Police Department, and the Caseyville Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Reed prosecuted the case.