Reneelinette P. Mesa And Ok Ja Cho Sentenced Today In The District Court Of Guam

ALICIA A.G. LIMTIACO, United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, announced that Defendants RENEELINETTE P. MESA, age 33, and OK JA CHO, age 47, were sentenced today in the District Court of Guam by Judge Ramona Manglona, for their roles in making and passing counterfeit currency on Guam.

Defendant MESA was sentenced for the offense of Making Photographs in the Likeness of U.S. Currency.  Defendant CHO was sentenced for Dealing in Counterfeit U.S. Obligations and Securities.  Defendant MESA and co-defendant Michael Badar (who will be sentenced later) made counterfeit currency and passed them at various businesses throughout Guam.  They were discovered when a vendor at Micronesian Mall called Mall Security when Defendant CHO attempted to pass one of the counterfeit notes.  The vendor led the Mall Security Officers to CHO.  Mall Security detained CHO until the Guam Police Department (GPD) and the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) responded.  Defendant CHO confessed that day and led United States Secret Service to Badar and Defendant MESA.  Agents recovered the materials they used to produce the counterfeit currency in garbage bags to be thrown out.

Defendant MESA was sentenced to 14 months imprisonment, five years supervised release, and 125 hours community service.  Defendant MESA was also ordered to pay restitution to the victims who filed claims.  Defendant CHO was sentenced to time served, with credit for seven months and eight days, three years supervised release, 200 hours community service and was ordered to report her conviction to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services.

Credit for the investigation is given to the Micronesian Mall Security, officers of the Guam Police Department, and special agents of the U.S. Secret Service. The case was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Clyde Lemons.