Bladensburg Man Charged in Counterfeiting Ring

A 22-year-old man from Bladenburg has been charged in connection with a counterfeiting ring of eight people who allegedly funneled fake money through a complicit cashier at the Walmart in Bladensburg in return for pre-paid Visa cards, according to the Prince George’s County Police Department.

Terran Jerrell Wells, of 5800 Annapolis Road in Bladensburg, has been charged on three criminal counts, including one for the issuance of false documents, one for  the issuance or possession of forged currency, and a third for theft between $1,000 and $10,000, according to court documents.

The incident, for which police say Wells was arrested on Wednesday, involved eight people, one of whom is a Walmart cashier who allowed the others to purchase the pre-paid Visa cards using fake cash. The cashier then swapped out the cash as legitimate currency to other customers. 

Details remain sparse because the case is still under investigation, said Cpl. Erica Johnson, a spokeswoman for the Prince George’s County Police Department, adding that it was the county’s Special Enforcement Division that both investigated and arrested the eight individuals.

It is unclear what specific role Wells allegedly played in the ring, Johnson said.

Police were notified of the scam by Walmart loss prevention officers, who spotted the bills, according to the Washington Post. The investigation reportedly lasted three weeks before any arrests were made.

Wells is scheduled to appear before a judge in Upper Marlboro on Aug. 26.

This story has been corrected. We misidentified the address of the suspect. We apologize for our error.