Pair arrested in Port St. Lucie on charges of carrying counterfeit $100 bills

PORT ST. LUCIE — A 19-year-old man and a 15-year-old boy accused Tuesday of having lots of counterfeit $100 bills at a Walmart Supercenter were arrested, according to records released Wednesday.

Clifford Lawrence Lynch, 19, of the 2600 block of Southwest Fairgreen Road in Port St. Lucie, and the 15-year-old each were arrested on a possession of more than 10 counterfeit bills charge. The 15-year-old also was arrested in connection with violating his probation and was taken to the juvenile detention center.

Port St. Lucie police went to a Walmart Supercenter in the 1800 block of Southwest Gatlin Boulevard following a report of four people who might be trespassing. Police recognized the four in connection with an earlier incident at Walmart.

Police determined Lynch, who was with three others, was carrying 27 counterfeit $100 bills. The bills had the same serial number.

Lynch said he didn't know they were fake and asked to be given a warning. Asked where he got the money, Lynch said he went to West Palm Beach and a man approached him with a lot of money. The man offered him about $5,000 for a necklace and a charm.

The 15-year-old boy was found with counterfeit bills identical to those found on Lynch. The 15-year-old said he got the money by selling a video game system to a person in West Palm Beach for $350.

"(He) believed that was the amount of currency he had on him," records state.

He actually had 19 $100 bills.

A third person, a 20-year-old Port St. Lucie man, was released.

Ronell Brown, who turned 18 earlier this month, was found to be violating his curfew. Although Brown's listed age is 18, he was taken to the juvenile detention center.

Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers, while customarily not naming juveniles accused of crimes, does name some juveniles depending on the seriousness of the crime, their age, aggravating circumstances and other factors.