Prosecutor Alleges Counterfeit Money Scheme in Teaneck Murders

The Queens nightclub owned accused in the shooting deaths of two men in Teaneck ran a scheme to buy counterfeit money and use it to purchase and resell cocaine, a prosecutor said in opening arguments Tuesday, northjersey.com reported.

Nicholas Kiriakakis, 27, used Michael Mirasola and Jonathan Beneduce as unknowing investors in the scam, Assistant Bergen County Prosecutor Wayne Mello said in court. Kiriakakis allegedly fatally shot the two men on Oakdene Avenue in Teaneck in February 2010.

Prosecutors did not detail a specific motive in the killings, according to the report. A defense attorney for Kiriakakis, Marc Agnifilo, contended that although illegal dealings had taken place, his client did not kill the two men.

Kiriakakis reportedly told detectives he was in Teaneck to visit his uncle, but the uncle told investigators he didn’t see him the night of the killings.

The trial is set to resume Thursday in Superior Court in Hackensack. Kiriakakis faces charges including two counts of murder and weapons offenses. He remains free on $2 million bail.

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