The Dalton Police Department arrested 29-year-old Angel Wilfred Leguisamon-Pena on Friday, on charges of forgery after he attempted to pass a counterfeit $100 bill at an area retailer. If not for an alert cashier, it is likely that he would have gotten away with the crime, just as he apparently did at least 11 other times at retail stores around the I-75 corridor between Florida and Northwest Georgia.

On Friday afternoon, Leguisamon-Pena (who investigators believe lives in Orlando, Fl., despite listing a Raleigh, N.C., home address on his ID) attempted to pay for a pair of shoes at Journey’s in Walnut Square Mall with a very convincing fake $100 bill.

However, the clerk did not just mark the bill with the special pen which is used to authenticate bills, she also held the bill up to the light to check the watermark and security strip. She saw that the security strip showed the bill was actually a $5 bill, and the watermark showed Abraham Lincoln’s face.

Leguisamon-Pena then apologized and paid with real $20 bills, but not before officers arrived.

Investigators obtained a search warrant for his car, and discovered $10,100 worth of counterfeit $100 bills, along with bags of merchandise from at least 11 other retailers from other cities like Calhoun and Stockbridge, which receipts showed were paid for with $100 bills.

After investigating the receipts, investigators found that he pocketed nearly $1,500 in change from these transactions in addition to the merchandise purchased.

Leguisamon-Pena was also charged with one count of first-degree forgery for attempting to pass the fake $100, and also 100 counts of second-degree forgery for possession of counterfeit bills.

While this is the largest bust the Dalton Police Department has made, more counterfeit bills have been appearing in the area.

Counterfeiters appear to wash the ink off of $5 bills and then re-print them in other denominations. This way, the bills appear to be genuine because they are printed on legal stock. However, if retailers check the security strip and watermarks in the light, they can still be spotted as fakes.

The Dalton Police Department urges retailers to train their employees to be aware and take the time to check bills. If anyone suspects a customer is attempting to pass a counterfeit bill, contact the Dalton Police Department by dialing 911.