Within four hours, three men visited more than a dozen stores and bought shoes, clothing, sunglasses and a gift card with what police said was counterfeit money.
Fredrick Davis, 27, Indianapolis, and Vincent Davis, 21, Greenwood, were arrested on multiple charges of counterfeiting, forgery and theft. Joseph Davis, 24, Indianapolis, was arrested on a charge of forgery.
Fake $100 bills were used at 13 stores at Edinburgh Premium Outlets and at a store in Franklin.
Police said Frederick and Vincent Davis went to multiple stores at Edinburgh Premium Outlets starting at 1 p.m. Dec. 30. At each store, the men paid using counterfeit $100 bills to buy items and then received change from the fake bills, according to the police report.
The two men walked away with nearly $375 in merchandise and cash, the police report said. The third man, Joseph Davis, told police he drove the car around the mall and parked it.
Edinburgh police were called when one of the stores realized the bill they got was fake, and officers began searching for the man, whose image was caught on surveillance video.
Officers and mall security were not able to find the man, and the search was called off.
But around 4:20 p.m., all three men were arrested after an employee at a Franklin auto parts store called police and reported that someone was trying to pay with a counterfeit bill.
Police officers found receipts, counterfeit bills and shopping bags from 11 Edinburgh Premium Outlet stores in the men’s vehicle, the report said.
Frederick Davis, 5217 Madison Ave., Lot 8, and Vincent Davis, 1022 Rolling Hill Road, were arrested and are being held in Bartholomew County jail on $7,500 bond each. Both had also been arrested on a charge of forgery and booked into the Johnson County jail and then bonded out.
Joseph Davis, 8865 S. Keystone Ave., Apt. 5, was arrested on a charge of forgery and released from the Johnson County jail on $1,200 bond.
