A trio of North San Juan residents ended up in hot water after allegedly rifling through an abandoned motor home in the area and making off with part of a stash of money.

Hoping to escape detection, the trio allegedly only took $20 bills, spending them locally at stores, including Mother Truckers and Sierra Super Stop. But the bills were counterfeit and quickly brought the attention of local and federal authorities.

“They were pretty obvious,” said Nevada County Undersheriff Rich Kimball. “They all had the same serial number.”

Once the counterfeit bills were detected, it wasn't difficult to locate the suspects in the small Ridge community, Kimball added.

Local deputies and investigators from the United States Secret Service served a warrant on a residence on Shady Creek Drive Nov. 25, arresting Joshua Allen Whitman, 19, on suspicion of burglary, criminal conspiracy and passing and possessing fictitious checks.

Based on information obtained during the execution of the search warrant, investigators also arrested Arraya Elizabeth Figueroa, 21, on the same charges. Patrick John Moore,

25, was arrested on suspicion of criminal conspiracy and being an accessory.

Moore and Figueroa at first said they found the money in a dresser they bought from a man in nearby Brownsville, in Yuba County, said Sheriff's Det. Bob Jakobs.

“They later recanted and said they found it inside an abandoned motor home,” Jakobs said.

They told deputies the motor home had been dumped on a friend's property at least a year ago, and they found the money when they rifled through it, Jakobs said.

Kimball said there allegedly had been $10,000 in $20 and $100 bills.

“Nobody knows where the $10,000 disappeared to,” Kimball said, adding the Sheriff's Office still was trying to determine the ownership of the vehicle.

The Secret Service told local law enforcement authorities that bills with that serial number had been circulating throughout the United States.

Special Agent In Charge Scott Gillingham said a little more than $100,000 in counterfeit bills with that serial number had surfaced, predominantly in Southern California.

He declined to comment further on the case or provide the serial number of the bills, citing an ongoing investigation.

It appears the Nevada County suspects will not face federal charges, however.

“There is no information to suggest they manufactured the bills,” Jakobs said.

The three suspects have been released on $10,000 bail each.

To contact Staff Writer Liz Kellar, e-mail lkellar@theunion.com or call (530) 477-4229.