GENESEO – Months after his felony forgery case was dismissed in lower court, a young Hemlock man returned to Village of Geneseo court to plead guilty to a misdemeanor for passing fake bills at two local businesses.
Carter Ellis, 21, of Hemlock, pled guilty to Attempted Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Third Degree, a B misdemeanor, on Nov. 10 and was sentenced to two weekends at the Livingston County Jail and to pay a total of $120 of restitution to two local businesses.
According to CrimeTime.com, Ellis could have served from 3 to 15 years in state prison for the original charge, Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the First Degree, a C felony.
The Geneseo Police Department learned from other law enforcement that the fake bills with Asian writing are sometimes used as coupons at the Seneca Allegany Casino in Olean, NY, in Cattaraugus County.
The charges were dismissed in June at the request of Ellis’ defense attorney, Steven Sessler after Ellis made bail and a scheduled felony hearing was not held to continue the case in lower court.
Sessler cited CPL § 180.70, which says that “At the conclusion of the hearing, the court must dispose of the felony complaint as follows: […] If there is not reasonable cause to believe that the defendant committed any offense, the court must dismiss the felony complaint and discharge the defendant from custody if he is in custody, or, if he is at liberty on bail, it must exonerate the bail.”
Ellis has served his two weekends in jail and his case is resolved.
The fake bills that Ellis tried to pass.