BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) — Two people from North Carolina pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States.

23-year-old Crystal Wilks, and 32-year-old Jamarcus Harris, both of Lenoir, North Carolina pleaded guilty and admitted to being a part of a conspiracy to create and pass counterfeit US money in Southern West Virginia.

According to court statements and documents, on October 12, 2022, Harris and Wilks traveled from North Carolina to West Virginia with two co-conspirators. They admitted that they passed counterfeit $100 bills in Beckley, Summersville, and Fayetteville businesses.

Harris, Wilks, and their co-conspirators attempted to make counterfeit US money in a rented a hotel room while in Summersville. Wilks and Harris further admitted that part of their process included bleaching $1 bills, scanning a real $100 bill, and printing the resulting image on the bleached bills.

Wilks and Harris are scheduled to be sentenced on January 26, 2024, and each of them face up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Will Thompson, who praised the United States Secret Service for their work on the investigation.