A Lodi man was sentenced Monday to prison for passing counterfeit money while deployed in Iraq with the California National Guard.
Joseph Deanda, 46, was ordered to serve 1 1/2 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
Deanda pleaded guilty on April 27. During his deployment from July 2007 to May 2008, Deanda received counterfeit $100 bills from his wife, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Reardon, who prosecuted the case.
Reardon said Reardon knew that the bills were fake and spent at least three of them at military post exchanges in and around Baghdad, Iraq.
In sentencing, Judge William B. Shubb said that Deanda's connection with a Lodi-area counterfeiting operation was substantial and that Deanda's sentence reflected involvement in the long-running scheme.
Co-defendants Holly Armada Haworth, 29, and Shelie Louise Radotic, 30, both of Lodi, have pleaded guilty and are scheduled to be sentenced in October.
Remaining co-defendants Tami Kishi Deanda, 41, and Clinton Earl Irons, 32, have a court hearing on Aug. 31.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Lodi Police Department and the U.S. Secret Service.
KCRA.com contributed to this report.
