By Mark LaFlamme,Staff Writer

LEWISTON – More fake money was seized, arrests were made and federal government officials were in Lewiston Thursday as an investigation into counterfeit cash gained steam.

Secret Service agents and local police detectives were tracking down leads to the source and supply of bogus cash that has been circulating across the area.

So far, at least 17 phony $100 bills have turned up in Lewiston and Auburn alone. But investigators believe the counterfeiting operation may be spread across several states.

In Lewiston, two people were arrested after they were allegedly caught with the counterfeit money Wednesday night.

Dee Dee Guerette, 28, of 179 Pine St., was arrested on a charge of aggravated forgery Wednesday night after she was pulled over in a routine traffic stop, during which she was also charged with driving with a suspended license.

Police said Guerette was found with 10 of the fake bills on her – all of which bore the same serial number. She was taken to the Androscoggin County Jail in Auburn, where bail was set at $10,000. She was released on bail on Thursday.

Later Wednesday night, 18-year-old Josh Piela, of 67 Switzerland Road, was arrested on Main Street after allegedly trying to pass a fake $100 bill at Dunkin’ Donuts. He was also charged with aggravated forgery and possession of marijuana.

Piela remained at the county jail on Thursday on $5,000 cash bail.

Aggravated forgery, a state felony, implies that a suspect knowingly possesses fake currency with the intention to defraud.

On Thursday, as a team of investigators worked on the case, another man was taken into custody and questioned at the Lewiston police station. That man was not immediately identified.

This week, at least four businesses in Lewiston and Auburn have reported receiving $100 bills that later proved to be counterfeit, police said.

“We want local merchants to know that these things are out there,” said police Lt. Tom Avery, “and it appears there are a lot of them. Our job now is to determine how big the problem is and see if we can find a common source.”

Each of the counterfeits bears the same serial number, Avery said. The number is AE77665544B. The bills also do not contain a watermark, as genuine money does.

While local and federal officials here try to pin down the source of the fake cash, investigators in other parts of the country are contending with similar problems.

In Massachusetts, a man and woman were arrested earlier this week and accused of trying to pass counterfeit money in Dedham, Braintree and Brockton. In that case, the suspects were said to be passing fake $50 bills at a Radio Shack.

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