A Waterville man has been sentenced to 10 months in prison for selling counterfeit silver dollar coins.

Mwashuma M. Sithole, 32, pleaded guilty in May. On Wednesday, U.S. District Court Judge John A. Woodcock Jr. sentenced him to 10 months in prison and three years of supervised release.

According to court records, Sithole ordered counterfeit Morgan dollars online from China in 2014, paying about $2 per coin. He then sold them as legitimate Morgan dollars at pawn shops in Augusta, Newport, Farmington, Lewiston and South Portland. He sold about $12,000 worth of the coins, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

About 1,200 counterfeit coins were seized in a search warrant executed in January 2015 at Sithole’s house.

The case was investigated by the Maine State Police, U.S. Secret Service, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and police in Augusta, Waterville, Auburn, Lewiston, South Portland and Newport.


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