United States Attorney Richard B. Roper
Northern District of Texas

FEDERAL JURY CONVICTS COUNTERFEITER

DALLAS, Texas — A federal jury in Dallas has convicted Crystal Michelle Porter, 20, for her role in a counterfeiting conspiracy, announced U.S. Attorney Richard B. Roper of the Northern District of Texas. Specifically, Porter, of Seagoville, Texas, was convicted of one count of conspiracy to manufacture and utter counterfeit U.S. currency. She is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge A. Joe Fish on September 28, 2007 and faces a maximum statutory sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

At trial the government presented evidence that Porter, aided and abetted by her co-defendants, Erica Maureen Horton, age 24, of Grand Saline, Texas, and Joey Dwayne Barrett, age 35, of Grand Saline, Texas, manufactured counterfeit U.S. currency by copying the bills on an all-in-one printer/copier/scanner and gluing the bills together. Horton and Barrett then went to the Seagoville Wal-Mart, where Porter worked, and passed the bills for gift cards. The evidence showed that the manufacturing occurred in the city of Dallas, where all three defendants agreed to pass the counterfeit currency at Wal-Mart. Horton and Barrett, who pled guilty in May to manufacturing and uttering counterfeit currency, testified against Porter at trial.

U.S. Attorney Roper praised the excellent investigative work of the Dallas Field Office of the U.S. Secret Service and noted that the Seagoville Police Department helped in both the investigation and prosecution of this case.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Juan Gabriel Rodriguez and Stephen D. Booker prosecuted the case.

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