Five New Jersey teens accused of printing counterfeit cash

By Daniel Kelley (Reuters) - Five New Jersey teens accused of making counterfeit money didn't exactly live the high life with their phony cash, using it to buy doughnuts and school lunch, police said on Friday. The high school students from New Milford, New Jersey, an affluent suburb about 20 miles northwest of New York City, made about $1,000 in fake $5 and $20 bills with an ink jet printer and heavy stock paper, police said. A month-long, snack-fueled spending spree that followed was their downfall, police said. The counterfeit scheme was detected last week after workers at a Dunkin' Donuts received seven fake bills, all bearing the same serial number. Alerted by the store, detectives reviewed security footage and saw the students – dressed in clothing naming their high school in the Bergen County town. “They're not career criminals,” said New Milford Police Chief Frank Papapietro. The students also spent the bills to buy lunch in the cafeteria of New Milford High School, police said. All of the students were charged as juveniles, two with passing forged bills, possession of forgery equipment and theft by deception and the others with theft by deception, police said. (Editing by Barbara Goldberg and Frances Kerry)