Fort Bend ISD police mistake middle schooler's $2 bill as counterfeit, investigate

A Fort Bend County eighth grader was falsely accused of trying to use a counterfeit $2 bill, May 6, 2016. According to the U.S. Treasury, the value of genuine U.S. $2 bills in circulation in 2007 was more than $1.5 billion. Click through these photos to see some of the fake items marketed to unsuspecting consumers every day.

less A Fort Bend County eighth grader was falsely accused of trying to use a counterfeit $2 bill, May 6, 2016. According to the U.S. Treasury, the value of genuine U.S. $2 bills in circulation in 2007 was more than ... more Photo: HYUNGWON KANG, REUTERS Photo: HYUNGWON KANG, REUTERS Image 1 of / 62 Caption Close Fort Bend ISD police mistake middle schooler's $2 bill as counterfeit, investigate 1 / 62 Back to Gallery

An eighth grader in the Fort Bend Independent School District wanted to get chicken tenders with her $2 bill in December 2014.

Instead, 14-year-old Daneisha Neal was accused of using counterfeit money.

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Officials at Christa McAuliffe Middle School didn't believe her $2 bill was real when she paid for her lunch after the school's counterfeit-detecting pen didn't work on the bill. The bill was printed in 1953, according to KTRK. The incident prompted an investigation by the Fort Bend ISD police, who later tested the bill at at bank.

"I went to the lunch line and they said my $2 was fake," Daneisha told KTRK. "They gave it to the police. Then they sent me to the police office. A police officer said I could be in big trouble."

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Once the school district police had their suspicions allayed, school officials said Daneisha would not face criminal charges.

"Within the same day of receiving the report, the investigating officer confirmed that the bill was not (counterfeit) and there was never any criminal charge / referral," the release stated.

Under federal law, anyone caught counterfeiting U.S. money or knowingly using forged money can face up to 20 years in prison and a fine.

According to the U.S. Treasury, the last batch of $2 bills was printed in 2003. As of April 30, 2007, the value of $2 bills in worldwide circulation was more than $1.5 billion.

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CORRECTION: The story previous reported that the incident happened a few weeks ago. The incident occurred in December 2014.