COEUR d’ALENE — A California man who spent counterfeit money in Post Falls will spend five years in federal prison.

U.S. Circuit Judge Richard C. Tallman sentenced Clinton Curry, 40, of San Francisco, to 60 months in federal prison for dealing in counterfeit obligations, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Curry must pay restitution to the businesses he defrauded and serve three years of supervised release after he completes his prison sentence. 

The charge stems from September 2023, when Curry entered a store in Post Falls and purchased $324 of goods using U.S. currency. Most of the currency used for the purchase was counterfeit, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. 

Upon investigating the matter, law enforcement discovered that Curry had engaged in similar transactions in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Utah, Arizona, Wyoming, Oklahoma and Texas. In total, Curry used or attempted to use more than $40,000 in counterfeit currency, authorities said. 

“This case demonstrates the effectiveness of multi-agency coordination to remove those who would attempt to threaten our financial system by using counterfeit currency,” U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit said in a news release.