A Traverse City man accused of passing fake $100 bills at several Garfield Township retail businesses faces felony fraud charges.

Aaron Marcus Fasel, 36, was arrested on charges of uttering and publishing, possession of a counterfeit note, possession of ammunition by a felon, and third-offense habitual offender. Fasel was on probation following two felony drug convictions in Grand Traverse County.

Fasel’s probation agent visited his residence at Riverine Apartments in Traverse City in March and spotted suspicious $100 bills. Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s detectives got a search warrant and found eight counterfeit bills, each with the same serial number, and ammunition in a safe in Fasel’s bedroom. They also found multiple receipts that showed $100 bills were used as payment, according to the charges.

Capt. Randy Fewless says Fasel is one of two counterfeit cases detectives are working on in the county; he says they hope to soon have an arrest warrant for a downstate woman on counterfeiting charges in a separate, unrelated case.

Those cases, apparently, won’t put an end to a recent spate of counterfeit money that’s spread through Traverse City. Two days after Fasel’s arrest, staff at Side TraXX Dance Bar in Traverse City reported to Traverse City Police that they had just discovered they’d taken a phony $100 bill sometime Saturday evening or early Sunday morning, says TCPD Chief Jeff O’Brien.