Man arrested in Elgin for spending fake money

Elgin police have charged a man with passing counterfeit money to buy a meal and then pay a cabdriver.

Eric Estrada, 22, of Chimalhuacan, Mexico, has been accused of paying for services with counterfeit cash, first at an Elgin eatery and later to a cabdriver to take him to a motel.

Both incidents occurred Monday, police said.

Estrada was arrested at the motel in the 1500 block of Dundee Avenue soon after he paid the cabbie with a fake $50 bill, Deputy Chief Jeffrey Swoboda said.

"The cab fare is what brought us there," Swoboda said.

Estrada was charged with three counts of forgery, a Class 3 felony - the "bill" was made out of counterfeit paper and ink - as opposed to a doctored dollar bill, Swoboda said.

Over the past several months, there have been several instances of fake money turning up at local businesses in Elgin, Algonquin and Lake in the Hills.

Although it is too early to tell whether Estrada is connected to any of those cases, police are investigating whether there is a link, Swoboda said.

On Tuesday, Kane County Judge Bruce W. Lester set Estrada's bond at $10,000, which means he needs 10 percent to secure his release while the case is pending. Estrada was unable to come up with the cash and remains in the Kane County lockup.

His next court date is Jan. 5 at the Kane County Judicial Center.

He could spend up to five years behind bars if convicted of one of the three charges.