Cottonwood Police Department officers arrested Carlos Cazelly and Morgan Gargiulo on Aug. 31 after a traffic stop near State Route 260 and East Fir Street in Cottonwood led to suspected counterfeit money and forgery tools. Sedona police later arrested Valerija Bednarchick in connection with the same case, and the investigation has moved to the Secret Service.
Cottonwood traffic stop
CPD Sgt. Ryan Gibson said officers first moved on the case after a call the previous day that the bills had been used to make purchases at a local business. He said, “I don’t have those details as of now,” when asked how much counterfeit currency the pair allegedly used.
Gibson also said officers found a large quantity of suspected counterfeit currency in the subjects’ possession, and that the bills matched counterfeit currency reported earlier in the ongoing forgery investigation. Cazelly and Gargiulo were initially identified as persons of interest in a series of forgery incidents reported at businesses throughout the Verde Valley.
Brewer Road arrest
Sedona police arrested Bednarchick on Sept. 3 in Sedona, and on Sept. 4 said she was taken into custody at a short-term rental in the 900-block of Brewer Road at 12:33 p.m. The department said she was allegedly in possession of counterfeit money, a printer used to make counterfeit money, and other forgery tools.
Police also said Bednarchick was arrested with a substance that appears to be methamphetamine. Sedona police posted that the case was being handed over to the Secret Service.
Charges in Prescott
Cazelly and Gargiulo were booked into the Yavapai County Jail in Prescott on charges of forgery, taking the identity of another, theft, possession of a stolen vehicle, conspiracy, escape and aggravated assault on law enforcement. Police said the vehicle had been reported stolen from California, the original Vehicle Identification Numbers had been covered or altered with fraudulent information, and the vehicle displayed a fraudulent license plate.
A records check also showed multiple felony warrants out of California for vehicle theft-related charges once Gargiulo’s true identity was uncovered. Before booking, Gargiulo tried to flee custody on foot, setting off a brief pursuit and physical struggle in which one officer received minor injuries to a leg.
The arrests now leave investigators sorting three connected defendants, recovered currency and forgery tools, and a case that has already crossed from local traffic stop work into federal review. Additional charges may be added as the investigation continues.
