I don’t want his life ruined, he is guilty of bad judgement if he picked it up from the floor and tried to spend it, but likely not forgery.
I think there is more to this story. I got a $20 that would not pass marker test from an ATM, the store would not take it but no one hounded me for forgery. I took it to the bank and they said it was real and took it. That was end of story. I am wondering if he really found it or if someone he is connected to is making money? This might be pushed to pressure him into talking.
Anything is possible, but I just don’t think a teenager in Texas that supposedly is a good student is connected to a counterfeiter. If he was, he’d probably be out trying to buy something better than a ham sandwich at the school cafeteria.