Four Arrested in Alleged Oxnard Counterfeit Ring

The arrest of an Oxnard couple suspected of passing counterfeit $100 bills at the Chumash Casino this week has prompted the Sheriff’s Office to caution tri-county residents against similar bills. Amphay Somchith, 43, and Sabrina Dodson, 30, were arrested Monday after a casino employee suspected they had used a counterfeit $100 bill to pay for food, said the Sheriff’s Office. Shopkeepers and residents should be on the lookout for $100 bills the serial numbers FF01708518C or CC01414148C.

When Sheriff’s deputies responded to a call from casino security, they discovered Somchith with two fake $100 bills, one of which he reportedly tried to throw away in a trash can. Inside the couple’s car, deputies found “17 washed $1 bills” and room keys to a hotel where they were staying in an unincorporated area of Santa Barbara County near Goleta, according to a Sheriff’s Office press release.

At the hotel room, deputies discovered two additional suspects — Gaynell Boyd, 46, and Teresa Boyd, 40, both of Oxnard. According to the Sheriff’s Office, “deputies located counterfeit making material in the hotel room, as well as receipts and property from several stores in Santa Barbara County and throughout the state where it is believed counterfeit bills were passed.” The four are accused of belonging to an Oxnard counterfeiting ring that manufactured and passed fake $100 bills across the state of California.

All four suspects were booked into County Jail on alleged charges of creating and passing counterfeit bills and conspiracy to commit a crime. Somchith was booked on an outstanding warrant for forgery out of Riverside County. Dodson was also charged with being under the influence of a controlled substance.

Shopkeepers and residents are advised to call the Sheriff’s Office at (805) 683-2724, or anonymously at (805) 681-4171, if they suspect they have encountered the counterfeit money.