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PLAINS TWP. — A man in a holding cell was seen on video placing counterfeit $100 bills into his mouth after removing the bogus cash from his anus early Friday, township police report.
Police said they stopped Elvis Balbuena, 20, of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Imar Pena, 19, of Darling Street, Wilkes-Barre, while they were walking in the middle of Route 315 just after 1 a.m.
Balbuena and Pena matched the descriptions of two men who walked away from Sheetz, Route 115 and Jumper Road, where they attempted to pass a counterfeit $100 bill, police allege.
Police said they left the store after a clerk wrote “fake” on a $100 bill.
When Balbuena and Pena were searched, officers allegedly found three $100 bills in a backpack Balbuena was carrying.
And they said a strip search revealed four more $100 bills hidden in Balbuena’s anus.
Balbuena refused to remove the bills, claiming it would hurt, police allege.
Officers told Balbuena he was going to be transported to a hospital to have the bills removed. While in a holding cell, police said he was observed on video removing the bills and placing them in his mouth.
As Balbuena heard officers entering the holding cell area, he reportedly took the bills out of his mouth and stuffed the bills down his pants.
Police said they later retrieved four bills from Balbuena’s pants.
A U.S. Secret Service agent inspected the seven bills that were all counterfeit and all had the same serial number, court records state.
Balbuena and Pena were arraigned by District Judge Richard Cronauer in Wilkes-Barre.
Balbuena was charged with seven counts of possessing instruments of crime, four counts of tampering with evidence and a single count of criminal conspiracy to commit theft. He was jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $7,500 bail.
Pena was charged with forgery, criminal attempt to commit theft and criminal conspiracy to commit theft. He was also jailed for lack of $7,500 bail.
Several hours earlier at about 11:15 p.m. Thursday, Wilkes-Barre police said Balbuena and Pena passed counterfeit money at the Sheetz on Wilkes-Barre Township Boulevard.
