Rankin County woman sentenced for possession and passing of counterfeit currency

RANKIN COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) – A Rankin County woman was sentenced to 12 months and one day in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, for possessing and passing counterfeit money.

Mary Glassmire Sessums, 43, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Jackson.

According to court documents, Rankin County authorities identified Sessums and Purvis Dustin Ward as individuals who were smuggling counterfeit U.S. currency into the county.

On November 2, 2019, several Rankin County residents reported that a man and woman made garage sale purchases using counterfeit money.

Pelahatchie Police then arrested the suspects and observed what appeared to be counterfeit U.S. currency in plain view in the vehicle. Sessums and Ward were arrested for possession of counterfeit money.

Prosecutors said several victims later identified Sessums and Ward as the individuals who fraudulently smuggled counterfeit U.S. currency to make purchases.

Rankin County deputies obtained a search warrant for Ward's residence and located counterfeit money, uncut sheets of counterfeit currency as well as two computers, three printers, specialty ink and paint, all of which were used to produce counterfeit money.

Sessums pleaded guilty on March 13, 2024, to possession and passing of counterfeit money.

Ward previously pleaded guilty to one count of manufacturing counterfeit currency and one count of possessing and passing counterfeit currency. He was sentenced to 30 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.

The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service, the Rankin County Sheriff's Office, the Pelahatchie Police Department and the Brandon Police Department.