Youths Suspected of Counterfeit Scheme
Allegedly Paid with Fake $20 Bills Throughout Isla Vista
Rebecca Shintaku, Jack Antonsen, Tyler Yarnell, and Wan Xing Peng, all between the ages of 20 and 21, are believed to be the architects of a local counterfeit scheme, responsible for the surfacing of bogus $20 bills at numerous Isla Vista businesses this month.
In police reports, witnesses described those attempting to spend the counterfeit bills as young adult males driving a “silver sports car,” said Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Drew Sugars in a press release.
On Tuesday, a Sheriff’s deputy from the Isla Vista Foot Patrol spotted the car on El Embarcadero and found a counterfeit $20 bill after conducting a search of the vehicle. The four suspects, said Sugars, were subsequently booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail and released two-four days later on their own recognizance. All four face charges of forgery and criminal conspiracy.
A search of an apartment on the 3000 block of Via Lucero yielded additional counterfeit bills and evidence of counterfeit production. Victims of the counterfeit bills in Isla Vista, said Sugars, included Six Pack Liquor, Freebirds, Déjà Vu, Pasta House, IV Drip, and Subway.
Sheriff’s investigators continue to look for other possible suspects.
