Maine Man Arrested After Purchasing Car From Facebook Marketplace With Prop Movie Money

When trying to use counterfeit cash to make purchases, one would think that the criminal would want to be as discreet as possible. You know, like NOT using fake cash that explicitly says that it is fake movie prop money? I mean, I'm no expert in counterfeit bills, but I feel like that would be some entry-level knowledge.

Well, for one Maine man, he didn't think this one through very much. According to WGME 13, a man from Raymond, Maine is now facing up to 15 years in prison, all over a $2,000 SUV from Facebook Marketplace.

The news station reports that the man, Martin Gerding, 40 of Raymond, found an SUV on Facebook Marketplace that he wanted to buy. Gerding went to see the SUV in Livermore, decided he liked it enough to buy, and allegedly handed the seller an envelope of $2,000 in cash.

It became evident as Gerding drove away hurriedly in the SUV that something wasn't quite right. That's when the seller opened the envelope and found the obviously fake cash stuffed inside.

The seller immediately contacted area police officials to let them know what had just happened. Police were subsequently able to catch up to Gerding and pull him over. When they asked him about it, Gerding reportedly told police that he had no idea the money wasn't real, though that defense is unlikely to stand up in court.

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WGME is reporting that Gerding was indicted on Tuesday on charges of aggravated forgery and theft by deception. Currently, Gerding is out on cash bail.

This is a developing story that we will continue to update as more information is made available to us.