A Round Pond man has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor forgery in connection with the passing of “numerous” counterfeit $20 bills in Damariscotta, Newcastle, and Waldoboro.
Tobin M. Burnham, 33, of Moxie Cove Road, entered the plea in Lincoln County Superior Court in Wiscasset, Thursday, May 29. The court will delay sentencing for six months as part of his plea bargain.
If he does not commit a crime or otherwise violate the conditions of the deal for six months, he will serve a seven-day sentence at Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset. If he does violate the deal, he could receive a sentence of up to seven months in jail.
The Damariscotta Police Department, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Secret Service executed a search warrant at Burnham’s residence Sept. 11, 2013, according to a statement by Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Michael Murphy.
The warrant and Burnham’s subsequent arrest were the result of an “investigation into the passing of numerous counterfeit bills” in Damariscotta, Newcastle, and Waldoboro, Murphy said. The bills were mostly $20 bills with a few $5 bills.
A Lincoln County grand jury indicted Burnham on a single count of felony aggravated forgery March 10. The plea bargain reduced the charge to a misdemeanor.
Burnham will return to court at 1 p.m., Friday, Nov. 28 for a hearing to determine the outcome of the case. He will remain free on bail until the hearing.