4 Charged With Passing Counterfeit Cash in West Hartford

West Hartford police have arrested two brothers, another man and a minor accused of spending counterfeit cash at local businesses so they could pocket the legitimate cash they received in return.

Police were tipped off to the crime spree when staff from La Petite Bakery called them on Sunday to report that a customer had come in and passed off a fake $100 bill.

That was just the beginning.

Within 20 minutes, police received similar reports from Ben & Jerry’s and Bruegger’s Bagels.

Police said employees at all three stores gave similar descriptions of the counterfeiters and one managed to snap a photo of the getaway car before it left the scene.

Officers soon found a vehicle matching the description and saw items inside that had been bought with the counterfeit cash, according to police.

In all, six businesses were hit. Police arrested the three adults and one minor who were inside the car, along with one other person.

Jason Hayle, 20, and Shawn Michael Hayle, 21, brothers from Hartford, and Andrew Darien  McLeod, 20, of Brooklyn, New York, were arrested.

Jason Hayle was charged with six counts of first-degree conspiracy to commit forgery and one count of fifth-degree conspiracy to commit larceny. His bond was set at $100,000.

Shawn Michael Hayle was charged with 10 counts of first-degree conspiracy to commit forgery, 10 counts of first-degree forgery, conspiracy to commit larceny in the fifth degree and one count of fifth-degree larceny. His bond was set at $200,000.

McLeod was charged with six counts of conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree, six counts of first-degree forgery, conspiracy to commit larceny in the fifth degree, one count of fifth-degree larceny and one count of interfering with an officer. His bond was set at $250,000.

McLeod was also charged as a fugitive from justice based on an out of state warrant.

All the suspects are due in court on Aug. 17. It's not clear if they have attorneys.

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