Maher Nasser: Truganina man pleads guilty to fake money operation

A Truganina man popped himself on police radar after detectives noticed a flood of fake cash circulating in the western suburbs.

A man from Melbourne’s west has pleaded guilty to running a counterfeit money racquet from his garage. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

A crook with a penchant for forging fake money faces a stint behind bars after police swooped on his operation which had flooded the western suburbs with bogus bucks.

Truganina’s Maher Nasser, 43, fronted the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Monday where, in addition to producing counterfeit money, he also pleaded guilty to possessing four cartridges of live ammunition this year, despite being the subject of a Firearm Prohibitions Order.

Documents tendered by the court reveal that police were alerted to the possibility of a rogue counterfeit operation in 2019, when Wyndham detectives began to notice a large amount of fake cash in circulation.

In May 2019 police executed a search warrant at Nasser’s home where they found him in the midst of his illegal racket.

Police said that along with $100 in fake notes, they found a HP computer, six USB sticks, scalpels, laminate paper, two printers and fake identity cards.

They found Nasser was in the process of setting up an account with Commonwealth Bank using fake identity details.

Nasser, who the court heard has two children from whom his is estranged and who battles a drug addiction, found himself in hot water again in August this year after police found him with drugs and ammunition in Coolaroo.

Police said that on August 26, less than six weeks after he was bailed on his counterfeit money charges, Nasser was pulled over at 8.50pm and consequently found with four rounds of live ammunition and marijuana.

Police said that Nasser lived with an “off and on again partner” in Eltham, but was in the process of purchasing a house in the suburb of Hillside.

Her Honour Roslyn Porter adjourned that matter until February 22, when Nasser will return to court to be sentenced.

Ms Porter renewed Nasser’s bail until that date.