Secret Service To Join Tahlequah Police In Counterfeit Cash Case

A suspected counterfeit money operation in Tahlequah is out of business.

Now the Secret Service is heading there to join the investigation.

About half of the police department's investigators are working on this counterfeit money problem and what they found in a man's bedroom is helping them put it all to a stop.

"It's been an epidemic in Tahlequah," said Tahlequah Police Chief Nate King.  

King said his officers and an ATF agent are pointing to Nicholas Renfro as the one who's making it.

"His nickname on the street, what people are calling him, is 'Counterfeit Nick'," King said. 

Investigators got a search warrant and found ink cartridges, computers, printers, and sheets of fake money that hadn't been cut yet all in Renfro's bedroom.

"If they were printing $100 bills only, they could have printed over $3 million worth of counterfeit money, based on the amount of print cartridges," King said. 

Secret Service agents will take a close look at the computers and printers, to see if they can be connected to older counterfeit cases. 

"It is beyond our expertise to do that analysis on the equipment, so hopefully the Secret Service can offer some assistance," King said.  

The problem came in waves over the past two years.

Last November, police saw at least one case a day.

The money was popping up at different businesses and not just in Tahlequah. 

But King said, at least for now, they've stopped production of the fake cash.
Investigators still want to talk to about a dozen persons of interest.

If you know where to find Nicholas Renfro, call Tahlequah Police.