January 15, 2014 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 21 Area Local police involved in busting counterfeiters by John Koster Counterfeit bills passed at a Wyckoff Walgreens store led to the arrest of two accused counterfeiters, both of whom were committed to Bergen County Jail in lieu of $57,500 in bail. FLOW Notes Fundraiser announced Ramapo High School is hosting a special fundraiser contest to benefit the school’s Project Graduation program. The prize, a family vacation to Hard Rock Hotel Punta Cana, Dominican Republic for up to four people, includes a $2,000 voucher toward airfare, transportation to and from the airport and hotel, and $1,500 in hotel cash. The winner will be announced at the Ramapo Reality Runway event set for March 19. Contest tickets are $50, and only 290 tickets will be sold. To purchase a ticket, send a check made out to Proj- ect Graduation and mail it to: Rose Stone, 890 Woodfield Road, Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417. Project Graduation is a nationwide program designed to keep students safe and substance free on graduation night. Umbrella Sale under way Ramapo High School is holding an Umbrella Sale to raise funds for Project Graduation. The students are offer- ing green and white golf umbrellas for $21 each. Each 60- inch bumbershoot has a metal shaft and wooden handle. A 36-inch telescopic folding version is available for $16. Both sport the Ramapo Raiders logo. To purchase an umbrella, contact Laura Policastro at laurapolicastro464@gmail.com or (973) 271-4056. The 29-year-old woman and the 31-year-old man, both residents of Paterson, were arrested by a task force of police from Wyckoff, Midland Park, Paterson, and the United States Secret Service on Dec. 23. They were found to be in possession of thousands of dollars worth of counterfeit money, equipment to make counterfeit bills, heroin and hypodermic syringes, and gift cards they had apparently purchased with the counterfeit money. They were charged with counterfeiting U.S. currency, producing forged docu- ments, and theft. The investigation was triggered when an alert clerk and a store manager at the Wyckoff Walgreens reportedly found counterfeit bills of different denominations mixed with the cash receipts. A separate Wyckoff Walgreens had spotted the passing of bogus bills on Dec. 13, and when the staff was examin- ing the money the woman who was attempting to pass it fled from the store and escaped. She was recorded on the store’s video camera. The same woman and her accomplice had reportedly passed counterfeit bills in the denomina- tions of $5, $10, and $20 in other stores in Midland Park and Wyckoff. They typically made small purchases to get change. The couple was tentatively identified and Paterson police were notified and detained them. Wyckoff Police Sergeant Daniel Kellogg and a Midland Park police officer went to Paterson and arrested them. Wyckoff Detective Sergeant Joseph Soto obtained a search warrant for their apartment and Wyckoff Lieutenant David Murphy and a Midland Park officer joined Paterson and federal police and conducted a thorough search, where they turned up the counterfeiting equipment and other evidence including heroin. Additional charges from Wyckoff and other locations are possible. Chief late for oath due to fire call Wyckoff Volunteer Fire Chief Louis Graglia missed his oath of office at the annual reorganization meeting, but was praised by new Mayor Doug Christie for not being there. Graglia was heading a mutual response to a serious Mid- land Park house fire. The alarm came in and the Wyckoff trucks left just before the annual reorganization meeting convened at noon on Jan. 1. Mayor Christie noted that about half the fire department was absent because they were fighting a fire in a neighboring town -- a dedication Christie praised as one of the things that make Wyckoff an admirable community, along with an excellent police force, a devoted Volunteer Ambulance Corps, and a highly effective Environmental Committee which earned Wyckoff the only silver medal for environmentalism issued by the state in Bergen County last year. “There are no gold medals yet,” Mayor Christie added. The fire engines returned as the reorganization meeting was breaking up, and Graglia and the other fire officers waited at the Volunteer Fire Company #1 headquarters for the elected officials to turn out for the annual fete following the reorganization. Chief Graglia took his oath from Township Clerk Joyce Santimauro with his wife Susan present, standing in front of one of the fire engines that had just returned from Mid- land Park. He had been appointed after Volunteer Fire Chief Mike Rose, still an active firefighter, stepped down as chief because he had moved outside the community. Timothy Brock took the oath as assistant chief. Deputy chiefs include Scott Fisher of Co. #1, Brian Hendrickson of Co. #2, and Andrew Forsythe of Co. #3. J. KOSTER