A 23-year-old man accused of passing in counterfeit money at Stop and Shop in Darien was recently in the custody of the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office in New York, where Darien police took custody of him and brought him back to Connecticut.
Darien police gave this account of the matter, including accusations not proven in court:
Arrest Photo from Darien P.D.
James Breeland, 23, accused of passing counterfeit bills in 2022 at Stop and Shop on Old Kings Highway North.
On Sept. 24, 2022, three male suspects allegedly passed $80 in counterfeit currency at the supermarket in Goodwives Shopping Center on Old Kings Highway North.
A Darien police detective found out that similar incidents had happened in Connecticut and New York state involving three male suspects who matched the description of the males in the Darien incident.
Through further investigation, police determined that James Breland, now 23, of Dekalb Avenue in Brooklyn, New York was one of the suspects, and on Dec. 8, 2022, a judge approved an arrest warrant for him.
Breland was recently held in New York state on unrelated charges. On April 11, 2024, he agreed not to fight extradition. On Tuesday, April 23, Darien police brought him to police headquarters, where his arrest was processed.
He is charged with first-degree forgery, sixth-degree larceny, conspiracy to commit first-degree forgery and conspiracy to commit sixth-degree larceny.
His bond was set at $35,000, and he was taken to state Superior Court in Stamford the next day. His bond remains unchanged, and he hasn’t been released from custody. His next court date is July 15.