Purple Power Can't Help Counterfeiter

BALTIMORE—A woman who split her time between jobs as a hairstylist and a janitor can add a third occupation to that list: counterfeiter.

Tarshema Brice, 34, transformed $5 bills into $50s and $100s with the help of a degreaser called "Purple Power" that enabled her to bleach the money (with the help of a toothbrush, as well). She then used an HP 3-in-1 inkjet printer to produce upwards of $20,000 in phony bills over a two-year period.