Two South Carolina men have been arrested after being caught with alleged counterfeit bills in Graham County.
On Friday, Graham County deputies responded to a trespassing call at the Shell gas station on the Rodney Orr Bypass. While questioning the alleged trespasser, Benjamin Taylor Wilkie of Duncan, S.C., deputies saw a large amount of what appeared to be $100 bills in his vehicle.
After deputies noticed small red marks and Chinese lettering on the bills, Wilkie admitted that they were counterfeit.
He admitted that there was a second person involved that he had dropped off at a residence earlier in the evening. The person was located and identified as 20-year-old Hayden Drake Cartee of Clemson, S.C.
Cartee also admitted that he knew the bills were not real.
The two men were later recognized as the same pair that had allegedly tried to pass of counterfeit bills at the Hwy. 74 BP gas station in Swain County earlier that evening. After sending pictures to Swain deputies, it was confirmed that the serial numbers on the fake bills matched those used in Swain County.
Swain deputies also called the Secret Service in reference to the counterfeit.
Both men were arrested and charged with possession of counterfeit money. They were then transported to Swain County Jail and given $20,000 bonds.
Both men made their initial court appearance in Graham County Monday, with their cases being continued until July 19.