Southern Illinois man sentenced for making counterfeit money

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A southern Illinois man was sentenced to federal prison for printing tens of thousands of dollars in counterfeit money.

Michael A. Eskew, 38, was sentenced to two years behind bars on Wednesday. He previously pleaded guilty to three charges related to counterfeit money production.

According to court documents, Eskew used printers and electronic images of dollar bills to produce fake U.S. Currency at his home. Authorities served a warrant at Eskew’s home in 2019, which led them to recover counterfeit bills with a fake worth of $33,826.

Investigators say Eskew distributed counterfeit bills to at least five people within his community.

“Making, using and possessing fake U.S. currency with fraudulent intent is punishable under federal law, and Michael Eskew was maintaining a full-scale, counterfeiting enterprise,” said U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe. “He schemed to defraud local businesses and enrich himself with the fake currency, thus warranting this sentence to federal prison.”

In addition to imprisonment, Eskew was ordered to pay a $600 fine and serve three years of supervised release.

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