Two Women With Counterfeit $1 Million Bill Caught At Dollar General Store

Two Maryville, Tennessee, women were caught earlier this month attempting to use a counterfeit $1 million bill to buy items at a dollar store, local authorities said.

A deputy from the Blount County Sheriff's Office responding to an incident reportedly involving counterfeit money at a Dollar General store encountered 39-year-old Amanda McCormick and her relative, 61-year-old Linda Johnson, inside, the New York Daily news reported, citing news outlet The Smoking Gun.

Authorities were told that "two females were inside the store attempting to purchase several gift cards with a counterfeit one million dollar bill," according to a police report.

McCormick reportedly told the deputy that she received the bill in the mail from a church but could not provide any information regarding the church.

"McCormick stated she was going to use the money to purchase items for care packages for homeless individuals," the deputy's report said. The woman had "a shopping cart full of various items from inside the store, including several gift cards to various businesses."

Johnson reportedly told the officer she was unaware of the bill and claimed she was with McCormick only to do errands.

The women were not charged and and the deputy issued a verbal no trespass warning for the store to both McCormick and Johnson. The $1 million bill was seized as evidence.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury in its official government website said, "We receive many inquiries asking if the Treasury Department ever produced a $1 million currency note." The agency explained a special limited copyrighted series of nonnegotiable "One Million Dollar Special Issue" notes were sold at $1 each as a collectible item by a Canadian firm. These notes were not officially manufactured by the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing and, therefore, are not redeemable by the Treasury.

According to the Treasury Department, the largest currency denomination ever produced for the U.S. was the $100,000 Series 1934 Gold Certificate, which featured a portrait of President Woodrow Wilson. The agency said, "The notes were used only for official transactions between Federal Reserve Banks and were not circulated among the general public."