(Washington, D.C.) - On February 6, 2015, Boaz Borohov, 44, of Tel Aviv, Israel and Ofra Borohov, 45, of Tel Aviv, Israel pled guilty in the Eastern District of Virginia to Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) conspiracy, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1962(d), and conspiracy to commit various counterfeiting U. S. currency offenses.
“The conclusion of this case highlights the Secret Service’s investigative prowess and ability to detect one of the most prolific counterfeit notes in history,” said Secret Service Acting Director Joseph P. Clancy. “This investigation joins a long list of successful counterfeit suppressions over our 149 year history. We will continue to work closely with our network of law enforcement partners to combat criminal enterprises and protect the Nation’s financial infrastructure.”
In 1999, the Secret Service began detecting highly deceptive counterfeit $100 Federal Reserve Notes (FRNs) in New York City. The counterfeit bills are believed to have been manufactured in Israel using off-set printing and were circulated predominately throughout the eastern United States.
In January 2014, the network established a printing plant in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Since the Secret Service’s detection of this counterfeit note, over $86 million has been passed or seized by law enforcement globally. In March 2014, the Secret Service observed the defendants enter the United States from Israel. The Borohov’s entry into the United States was for the sole purpose to assist in the production and manufacturing of counterfeiting U.S. currency.
From May to June of 2014, the Secret Service executed multiple federal arrest and search warrants across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Florida. This culminated in the suppression of the highly sophisticated counterfeit printing plant in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. During the federal search warrants, Secret Service Agents seized: one Heidelberg off-set printing machine; one Ryobi offset printing machine; three printing machines; computer equipment; approximately $240,700 in genuine U.S. currency; and approximately $2.5 million in counterfeit FRNs.
This case was investigated by the Secret Service’s Washington Field Office, with assistance from offices in Philadelphia, New York, Miami, Atlanta, Long Island, and Scranton, Pennsylvania. The Secret Service also worked closely with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Prince William County Police Department, the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office; and the police departments of Cherry Hill, New Jersey; Mt. Laurel, New Jersey; Nassau County, New York; Rockville Centre, New York; and Woodstock, Georgia.
About the United States Secret Service
The United States Secret Service was originally founded in 1865 for the purpose of suppressing the counterfeiting of U.S. currency. Now an agency within the Department of Homeland Security, the Secret Service is widely known for its protective mission in safeguarding the nation’s highest elected officials, visiting foreign dignitaries and events of national significance. Today, the Secret Service maintains a unique dual mission of protection and investigations, as one of the premier law enforcement organizations charged with investigating cyber and financial crimes.