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.

Brice, who pleaded guilty in federal court last month, and three accomplices were nabbed last September, according to Bloomberg. Brice, a resident of Richmond, VA, was allegedly using the money to help raise six children on her own. The accomplices have all pleaded guilty or have been found guilty of counterfeiting charges.