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Cops: Suffolk teens ran funny money operation

Suffolk police broke up a counterfeit money operation allegedly run by two Huntington Station teenagers. Police say Michael Rzonca and William Seeger, both age 17, were using laser copiers to print the

News 12 Staff

Dec 22, 2007, 11:19 PM

Updated 6,394 days ago

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Suffolk police broke up a counterfeit money operation allegedly run by two Huntington Station teenagers.
Police say Michael Rzonca and William Seeger, both age 17, were using laser copiers to print the bogus bills for about two years. According to investigators, the two teens would print the bills in the back of Rzonca's pick-up truck. They say the duo would then hand out the phony money to others to circulate throughout the area.
Police say one of those individuals was 22-year-old Osticott Bird. The counterfeiting ring began to unravel when Bird was pulled over for a minor traffic violation and arrested on outstanding warrants. Police say they found the counterfeit money while inventorying Bird?s property after his arrest.
Investigators say counterfeiters typically buy low-priced items and pay with a phony bill of a bigger denomination. The merchant will give the counterfeiter back the good money and then the merchant gets stuck with the bad bill.
Police say that was the case with the fourth suspect arrested in the case. According to police, 17-year-old Matthew Lutz, of Huntington Station, was found passing out bad bills to retailers at the Walt Whitman Mall.