A sophisticated scheme to turn counterfeit cash into real currency was dismantled this week after investigators say adults were using children to unknowingly launder the money.
According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the investigation began on December 6 when deputies received reports of counterfeit bills circulating at two businesses in a south Lakeland shopping plaza. Witnesses spotted a suspect leaving the scene as a passenger in a gray Kia SUV.
Detectives identified the suspect as 32-year-old Jean Armand of Tampa. Following his arrest and during questioning, Armand told investigators he wasn’t the source of the bills, claiming he received them from friends in Mulberry identified as Quinece Staton-Langley, 25, and Beyonce Bettyce Staton, 24…