Cleveland resident charged with passing counterfeit currency
Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, today announced that a federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Ondra P. Lastrapes, age 41, of Cleveland, Ohio, with one count of passing counterfeit currency on February 11, 2011.
If convicted, the defendants sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to the case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.
The case is being presented by Assistant United States Attorney Gregory C. Sassé after an investigation by the United States Secret Service.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.