Customs seizes bogus checks at Kennedy
More than 1,900 counterfeit U.S. Postal money orders, money gram checks and bank checks worth more than $2.4 million have been seized at Kennedy Airport by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers, authorities said. (March 9, 2011) Credit: Customs and Border Protection
More than 1,900 counterfeit U.S. Postal money orders, money gram checks and bank checks worth more than $2.4 million have been seized at Kennedy Airport by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers, authorities said.
The shipments originated in Nigeria, Robert Perez, U.S. Customs director of field operations in the New York Field Office, said in a prepared statement Wednesday. A routine enforcement exam Tuesday uncovered the counterfeits in containers manifested as "documents," officials said.
A closer inspection of the checks revealed them to be "bogus," the statement said.
"The unlawful trade of counterfeit monetary instruments has adverse effects on our economy," Perez said, adding that the agency is "dedicated to protecting the U.S. economy while facilitating legitimate trade and travel."
The investigation is continuing.
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