Bradenton man pleads guilty to counterfeiting

TAMPA, Fla. (WWSB) - A Bradenton man faces 20 years in federal prison after pleading guilty Friday to counterfeiting, the U.S. Justice Department said.

Anthony Wayne Smith, 58, pleaded guilty in federal court in Tampa to manufacturing counterfeit currency.

According to the plea agreement, Smith printed the bogus bills at his home in Bradenton. While executing a search warrant at his home, law enforcement officers recovered a large quantity of counterfeit notes hidden throughout the residence, texturized printing paper and printers.

Smith’s laptop computer contained digital images of U.S. Federal Reserve notes that had been used in the production and manufacture of counterfeit currency, prosecutors said.

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 6.