Counterfeit bills in ATMs lead to man’s capture

A man has been accused of embezzlement after authorities say he replaced real cash with counterfeit bills in several Chase ATMs in New York City.

According to NBC New York, Gene Carlo Pena worked at a company that serviced ATMs in Manhattan. In hopes to avoid detection, authorities believe Pena put fake bills in the ATMs after helping himself to a substantial amount of real cash. However, the counterfeit currency was easily detected by the cash machines and customers (perhaps due to the fact that they were blank on one side).

Word of the heist first hit earlier this month when customers at two Manhattan banks began complaining that they were receiving fake bills. In most cases, the ATMs separated out the bad bills, but a few did make their way into the hands of confused customers. It is unclear just how much money was stolen. Earlier reports have the amount at $110,000 while more recent updates say the bank was short about $11,000.

Pena, 26, surrendered to authorities at Kennedy Airport after returning to New York from the Dominican Republic.