Cookie thief uses counterfeit cash to pay Girl Scouts outside grocery store

By Hannah FryStaff Writer

Feb. 29, 2016 8:18 AM PT

A man ripped off a Girl Scout troop Sunday night in front of a Costa Mesa grocery store by paying for several boxes of cookies with a counterfeit bill, police said.

The Girl Scouts were selling cookies outside the Stater Bros. grocery store at 2180 Newport Blvd. about 7 p.m. when a man approached them to buy five boxes, said Sgt. Matt Selinske.

He paid for $25 worth of cookies with a fake $100 bill, Selinske said.

The troop did not immediately realize the cash was counterfeit and gave the man $75 in change. A parent called police an hour later after realizing the bill was counterfeit.

A description of the man was not available Monday morning.

Hannah Fry

Hannah Fry covers breaking news for the Los Angeles Times. She most recently covered Orange County for The Times and has written extensively about criminal trials, housing, politics and government. In 2020, Fry was part of the team that was a Pulitzer finalist for its coverage of a boat fire that killed 34 people off the coast of Santa Barbara. Fry came to The Times from the Daily Pilot, where she covered coastal cities, education and crime. An Orange County native, Fry started her career as an intern at the Orange County Register.