Police Say CU Teller Stole Cash & Replaced It With Play Money
Investigators are searching for Jorge Navarro, a former head teller who worked for a Virginia credit union for 10 years.
Police in Virginia are searching for a credit union head teller who allegedly stole money from a safe and replaced it with play money.
Earlier this month, a supervisor for the $188 million URW Community Federal Credit Union in Danville, reported the embezzlement to police.
Detectives for the Danville Police Department launched an investigation and secured an arrest warrant for Jorge Omar Navarro Jr., 27, of Danville. He has been charged with one felony count of embezzlement of $500 or more from the credit union.
“He took money out of the safe in excess of $500 and replaced it with play money that can be purchased on Amazon,” Cheryl Doss, president/CEO of URW Community FCU said. “The play money would be apparent to anyone that it is not real.”
Doss said Navarro had been working at the credit union for 10 years and was head teller at the DRMC Branch at 142 South Main Street.
This play money, also called “prop money,” is used in films, TV shows, commercials, music videos and professional photo shoots, according to Downey-Calif.-based PropMovieMoney.com, which boasts it has been rated by film industry professionals as the best prop money producer in the U.S. The company said it prints prop bills using the highest-grade offset printing presses similar to the way real U.S. currency is printed.
When police investigators searched Navarro’s house, they found a roll of fake $1 bills, financial documents and money bands, the Danville Register newspaper reported.
Danville Police Department Lt. Mike Wallace said investigators are unsure how much money was stolen and over what time period.
“We are still currently seeking the location of Mr. Navarro and the investigation is ongoing,” he said.
Police ask anyone with information about this crime or Navarro’s location to call Danville Crime Stoppers at 434-793-0000, Danville Police Department at 434-799-6508 or email crimetips@danvilleva.gov. Information will remain confidential.