EAST ST. LOUIS — A 23-year-old St. Louis, Missouri, has been sentenced in federal court to 30-months in prison after he earlier pleaded guilty to using counterfeit U.S. currency to purchase a vehicle in Sandoval, Illinois that was listed for sale on Craigslist.

Eric Rogers pleaded guilty to the charge on December 9, 2015. During his plea he admitted that he along with several others had engaged in an agreement to use counterfeit United States Currency to buy vehicles. Once in possession of the vehicles they would then resell them for genuine United States currency.

During August of 2013, the group contacted a person in Sandoval Illinois, who had listed his vehicle for sale on Craigslist. Rogers, along with the other conspirators then met with the seller in Sandoval, Illinois and purchased the vehicle for $2,400 in counterfeit $100 Federal Reserve Notes.

Rogers and others involved in the conspiracy were arrested a short time after the fraudulent purchase by law enforcement from Carlyle, Clinton County and Sandoval.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Carlyle and Sandoval Police Departments, the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Secret Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ranley R. Killian.

One co-conspirator, 36-year-old Lewis Johnson, was sentenced last month to 3-years in federal prison for the conspiracy.