A middle-aged Stamford man is spending some time behind bars for allegedly forging fake money and spending it around the city.

Eugene Lyles, 56, has 30 prior convictions for counterfeiting in New York. He now faces almost 30 new charges of first-degree forgery for allegedly passing fake bills repeatedly at the Ridgeway Shopping Center and Town Center Mall over the last six months.

Police say when they went to his house, they found an entire counterfeiting operation and about three-dozen bills of various denominations, mostly of $10 and $20.

"He would buy some very low-priced items just to get the change back," says Capt. Richard Conklin, of the Stamford Police Department. "A lot of people aren't as diligent with the tens and the twenties."

A judge ordered Lyles held on $50,000 bond. His next court date is at the end of the month.

The Secret Service is also investigating.