A man holds a wad of cash tightly. (Mariia Demchenko / Getty Images)
By Michael Austin March 30, 2026 at 4:15am
A South Carolina prison inmate tried a desperate but bold trick to post bond — handing over a “wad” of counterfeit money to a judge and then telling the official to “keep the change.”
Patrick Alexander, 33, had his bond set at $250 for a trespassing charge, per a March 16 release from the Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Office.
Alexander then took a wad of what appeared to be money out of his personal property, which had just been returned to him.
He then reportedly peeled off three $100 bills, handed them to the judge, and said the judge could “keep the change.”
But something was amiss.
“The Judge advised Alexander that he could not keep the change and, while holding the money, noticed the color of the bills appeared unusual,” the release said.
An inmate told a judge to “keep the change” while paying his bond during a hearing and headed right back to jail after allegedly handing him fake $100 bills covered in Chinese writing. pic.twitter.com/o9jyRnT88x
— Local 12/WKRC-TV (@Local12) March 19, 2026
“Upon further inspection, he observed Chinese writing on the back of the currency.”
Shortly afterward, an officer examined the bills using a counterfeit detection pen.
Sure enough, the bills were not real.
“Alexander was informed that the currency was fake, and the Judge instructed the detention officer to hold the money as evidence,” the release continued.
In addition to his trespassing charge, Alexander now faces a charge for forgery.
Apparently, attempts to pull a fast one on judges by posting bond with fake money is more common than one may think.
Just last month, Felicia Howard of Kentucky tried to use 15 fake $100 bills to pay the bond of an inmate, per a report from KFVS.
The deputy jailer was instantly able to recognize the forgeries, which were mixed with real money.
Howard, 39, was then charged with first-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument.
She was, perhaps ironically, released on $1,000 cash bond.
While the desperate fake money schemes from these two suspects did not work out as planned, their sheer audacity was most certainly not counterfeit.
Michael wrote for several entertainment news outlets before joining The Western Journal in 2020. He now serves as Managing Editor, which involves managing the editorial team and operations; guiding the editorial direction of The Western Journal; and writing, editing, curating and assigning stories as needed.
Birthplace
Ames, Iowa
Nationality
American
Education
Iowa State University
Topics of Expertise
Cultural Politics, Entertainment News, Christian-Conservatism
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
