A woman has been charged with multiple counts of felony forgery after police said she used fake $100 bills to buy clothing at the Chicago Premium Outlets on Friday.
Aurora police were called around 2:11 p.m. to Claire’s, 1600 Premium Outlet Blvd., where an employee reported that a woman tried to make a purchase with a counterfeit $100 bill. When the employee advised the woman that the bill was fake, she allegedly left the store quickly and began to leave the mall.
According to police, the employee called mall security with a description, and a security officer was able to track down a suspect though the mall and into the parking lot where she got into a vehicle.
The security officer told police he saw the woman strike a car on her way out of the parking lot before fleeing northbound on Farnsworth Avenue.
Police spotted the vehicle on Farnsworth Avenue and conducted a traffic stop. Bags from The Children’s Place, The Loft and Talbot’s were inside the vehicle, police said. Inside the woman’s wallet, police allegedly located an additional four counterfeit $100 bills, according to reports.
The Children’s Place, The Loft and Talbot’s were each contacted and confirmed receiving counterfeit $100 bills from a woman matching the description.
Keisha Owens, 23, of the 800 block of 64th Street in Chicago, was charged with four counts of felony forgery, according to police.
One store had security video which showed Owens purchasing clothing with one of the fake bills, police said.
Police said Owens admitted to buying the counterfeit money from a man in Chicago. She said she gave him $500 in actual cash for $800 in counterfeit bills. All of the bills contained the same serial number, police said.
The clothing items were returned to their respective stores, police said.