it's midnight on the bustling las vegas strip. and the high life is in full swing. but in a dark corner of town something else is going down. this man is stealing a car. what he doesn't know is that the police are watching. and so are we.

on the other side of las vegas these people are talking business. they're selling stolen merchandise. this woman has cards. so does he. >> i can get brand new mustangs all day long. >> this guy has guns. this man is selling counterfeit money. >> i got $2,000 on me. >> he's even holding a class on how to make the fake bills. they all think they're dealing with other crooks. >> between the two of these guys they're capable of a crime spree. but they're really selling to cops. >> how about 500 bucks for everything? >> back on the strip this man and woman are talking about sex. >> i mean a pretty girl like yourself can get as much money as she's looking for. >> he thinks she's a prostitute. seems to be offering his services as a pimp. >> somebody to give me guidance.

>> to give you guidance. >> he doesn't know that she's really a detective and that we're watching from only a few feet away. he is very confident. he's not even looking around. tonight, you'll go behind the scenes like never before with the las vegas metropolitan police department. undercover as it happens to solve crime. and you'll hear what suspected criminals have to say for themselves. >> that's where i remember you from. >> what about at restaurant that time -- >> was y'all following us around at the restaurant. >> i'll get to that in a bit. i have a videotape i think you'll want to see. can i play it for you? more than 30 million tourists will visit las vegas this year. and while they eat, drink and play, another side of vegas is hard at work criminals scamming stealing cars and selling sex. that's where the cops come in.

over the past year we've been watching undercover operations of the las vegas metropolitan police department one of the most proactive in the country. >> you have to be creative in your approach to law enforcement. the criminal element is so you have to be as well. >> sheriff doug gilespie is the man in charge sfwl. >> if you continue to go after them the say way you always have, you're going to get the same results. >> one of the biggest problems car theft. >> auto theft is a prime example. we were going after auto theft from traditional ways. and then we brought in some nontraditional ways. >> enter members of a special auto theft unit called the viper squad. lieutenant bobby duyvil who runs the unit has a warning for car thieves. >> las vegas is not the place to come and steal cars. >> his detectives use bait cars that are strategically placed to present an opportunity for potential thieves. all rigged with hidden cameras.

>> i mean we've got state-of-the-art bait car program. we have one of the largest fleets in the united states. and we have guys that know how to work them. >> tonight, the bait car is a 2006 escalade. >> why are you following me? >> the cops think a fight between a man and a woman. >> i need to caketake care of business. >> where'd they get the idea? >> it is based on actual cases. people have had their cars stolen. >> in the commotion they pretend to abandon the bait car still running. this man spots the car, gets in and looks around. but he doesn't take the bait. and leave. moments later this suv pulls up across the street. this man gets in and begins to drive away. within minutes he pulls over. that's when police move in. >> let me see your hands! >> hands up! hands up!

>> they arrest two men, the driver and his accomplice, a man named frankie, who i get a chance to talk to. chris hansen with "dateline" nbc. >> that's where i remember you from. catch a predator. >> you watch catch a predator? you like it? >> yeah. >> i like that you guys catch them. it's crazy the people out here nowadays. guess who we're catching now? >> car theft. >> auto thieves. there you go. so tell me what happened tonight? >> there was people fighting over there, a white guy and a white lady fighting. the white lady got out of the car and took off with a white guy in another truck. and o me and my friend went down there to go see what was going on. he took the truck. >> so was it just an impulse thing? >> pretty much. >> spur of the moment? >> yeah. >> you're in a bit of a jam right now though. >> oh yeah. >> now, how old are you? >> 19. >> 19. have you ever been busted before? >> i've never done nothing wrong. >> never taken any cars. >> nope. >> gone to jail. >> nope. >> been to court? >> clean record. been to court once. >> for what?

>> for driving on a permit. that's about it. >> yeah. what's your biggest regret tonight? >> getting in the truck and going over there. that's the biggest regret i have right now. >> so you're facing serious charges here tonight. >> yeah. >> at 19 years old. >> uh-huh. it was just one bad judgment call. >> franky has pleaded guilty for attempting to possess a stolen vehicle. detective duval hopes his arrest serves as a warning to others. >> first of all, hopefully people will get the message that you don't steal cars in las vegas. the second message is that if you do there's a good chance you're going to run into one of ours. >> unfortunately that doesn't always happen. most of the time there are real victims. this woman had her car stolen at gunpoint. did he point the gun at you? >> yes. well, the whole time it was pointed at me. >> will the thief who did it ever be found? >> dude what's up? >> that leads us to another undercover operation going on in vegas. we're watching that one too.

and once again the bad guys don't know it. >> kyle. nice to meet you. >> that's next. and coming up later -- >> i'm saying i mean -- >> we're just a few feet away from a bold crackdown right on the strip. and someone is surprised to see us. what would have happened? >> i would have walked to 7-eleven and went home. been watching "dateline" nbc tomorrow with somebody else on the news. >> still ahead on vegas undercover. it wasn't the machine, it was our detergent. so we switched to tide turbo clean. now we get way cleaner clothes way faster he turbo clean. 6x the cleaning power in ½ the time (man) hmm. what do you think? ♪ (stranger) good mornin'! ♪ (store p.a.) attention shoppers, there's a lost couple in the men's

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approached her and asked to use the phone. >> i was in the middle of asking him, oh you need to use the phone whenever i looked up and saw the gun. >> he said give me your keys. >> are you okay? >> yes. >> the man wanted her cadillac parked outside. >> it was just unreal. you see this on tv and you never think it's going to happen. >> you want medical or anything? >> no. >> that's pretty scary, i know. >> but the las vegas police know it happens all too often. and they know when thieves steal cars or other items it's more than likely they'll be looking for a place to sell the goods. >> our shop is coming up on the right hand side. >> so the las vegas intelligence unit run by lieutenant dave logue has rented this little shop. >> it's a fencing operation. >> it's a fencing operation where you can bring a stolen high end electronics, guns vehicles no questions asked and you'll get paid cash for it over the table. >> undercover detective will pose as crooks who buy hot items. the shop is tucked away in an

industrial area off the vegas strip. and masquerades as a place that installs car audio systems. everything in the store front is a prop with a purpose. i mean even things like this the eight-ball, the rubik's cube, why do you have these out here? >> everything in this office is pretty much wiped down after every deal in order to gather information from fingerprints if need be. >> police have rigged this shop with hidden cameras. and we've been allowed to install some of our own. there's a camera hidden right here. there's one up here. there's another camera hidden right here. how dangerous is it for you to do an investigation? >> for the undercover officers that are dealing directly at this counter, it's very dangerous because -- >> i mean you don't know who's going to pull out a gun. >> absolutely. >> while the undercover officers are out front, they are under constant surveillance from this back room. so when one of the deals is going down there are undercover officers right here hands on their guns ready to pop out here

in case something goes bad. the word is out on the street that the owners of the so-called audio shop actually buy stolen goods. now it's time for the customers. >> come on in sweetie. >> meet sheryl miller also known as chevy, a 43-year-old mother of three. today she's selling a 2002 ford mustang. >> is it in good shape? >> oh yeah it's awesome. >> she says a friend of hers reported the car stolen in order to collect the insurance. >> yeah, turned it in for insurance or whatever. >> they just want it to disappear? >> exactly. >> another day chevy is back and says she and some of her friends have guns. >> it's a 12-gauge. >> they're all rifles? a .308? >> yeah a .308. >> but she says her forte is forgery making fake checks. >> i do fake checks big money checks. >> okay. >> i've been doing what i do for about 12 years.

>> chevy is now a regular and begins to bring her friends to the shop. the undercover cops are doing a bang up business. characters of all kinds come by. this man has some large gun. >> what do we got? >> look at me like a stiff body. here's .357 shells and .38 special. >> .357. >> here comes britney, an unlikely looking suspect. >> where are you from? >> alaska. >> alaska? >> anchorage? >> uh-huh. >> today she's come with a 2006 dodge pickup truck. she says it was taken from a man she knows. she also says she's got guns lots of them. the cops working this operation are a tight knit group of specially trained undercover detectives. when you do one of these deals, it is not just another day at the office is it? >> it's never just another day

at the office. >> reporter: we've hidden their faces to protect their identities. what do you want folks to know about this case? >> there's lots of unconventional ways we're going to go after these people. and, you know we're doing everything we can to get them and trying to be creative and getting people off the street and put them in prison. >> one thing these detectives were surprised about was how many women showed up like allison, a 43-year-old single mother. she's here to sell this stolen ford thunderbird. >> ac broken in that ride or what? >> i don't know. >> she says she's selling the car for a friend and doesn't know if it's been reported stolen yet. >> i've been driving it up and down boulder highway at night, in the day and nothing's happened to me. >> allison also tells the undercover detectives she knows someone who can come up with a fake title for the car. >> i have a girlfriend who works down at one of the tow places. and she does the titles. that's what she does the titles. so no one's going to get her to

make a title. >> they settle on a price $200. >> that's fine. you know what if you just hand me a dollar right now i would have taken it. >> kyle nice to meet you. >> this is kyle kennedy, he and a friend have come in to sell a stolen suv. the cops make him feel right at home. soon he reveals he's just become a father. >> so, dude you got a baby huh? >> yeah. >> not your average family man. >> i think i would've kicked her to the curb a long time ago if weren't for the kid, you know. >> soon they get down to business and settle on a price. >> all right. let's just do 5050. >> $550 for a car worth $25,000. kyle and his friend leave with the cash. like most of the suspects who will visit the store, police let kyle walk. that's so they don't blow their cover. the plan is to arrest all the suspects once the operation has ended. two weeks later kyle is back with a cadillac.

and now he's bragging to the cops about how he stole it using a weapon. >> i took it more or less. like strong armed with a gun. >> and whose car is it? >> he said i'm going to need your keys. >> it's monique's remember she was robbed at gunpoint. now they know kyle is violent, they can't let him walk. >> this person has to be removed from the street as quickly as possible. >> but the trick is to not tip him off that the store front is really a police operation. lieutenant bobby duval handles the arrest. >> the operation tonight is to safely take him into custody and get him in jail. >> they're not going to tell kyle he was caught in a sting. they come up with another excuse. they pull him over and tell him his victim picked him out of a photo lineup. so he still has no idea how he was really caught. >> can i ask what's going on? >> kyle who is serving a prison term on other charges pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one to four years in prison for his

store front crimes. police ultimately caught this guy. >> yes. >> how did that feel? >> it was incredible. before this i thought that cops they don't really do anything. they just drive around. >> turns out in vegas police do a lot. >> it's just all about negotiation. >> undercover detectives are everywhere. and it isn't only car thieves they're after. >> her target audience is going to be a pimp. >> a pimp. >> hi, honey. do you know the secret to a happy home in these modern times? it's a housewife who's in control of the finances. actually, any wife, husband, or human person can use progressive's name your price tool to take control of their budget. and while the men do the hard work of making money, she can get all the car insurance options her little heart desires. or the women might do the hard work of making money. [ chuckling ] women don't have jobs. is this guy for real? modernizing car insurance with -- that's enough out of you! the name your price tool only from progressive. where is your husband?

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ooñ?wswxçñw?ó?y?oç?oññk this woman looks like a prostitute and is acting like one. >> hi, honey. >> but she's really an undercover detective with a specialized squad called the pimp investigative team. p.i.t. for short. how do you prepare mentally for your role? >> i have a story that i usually stick to. i usually stick to that same

story all night long. and i go over that in my mind multiple times. >> her story? she's a new arrival in las vegas and is trying prostitution for the first time. her supervisor lieutenant karen hughes runs the vice unit. >> she's going to be out there. and her target audience so to speak is going to be a pimp. >> a pimp? >> somebody that's going to be out there recruiting for new girls into his stable. >> i would do almost anything for money. >> tonight we watch as the operation begins off the strip at a known hooker hangout. >> you want a date or what? >> and within minutes she's propositioned by customers again and again. more than a dozen times within 30 minutes. but the real target the pimps, are nowhere to be seen. i mean she seems to know pretty quickly whether or not she's dealing with a pimp or john. so just after midnight they move to a different location right on the vegas strip. almost immediately she's

approached by this man. while we watch from just a few feet away. >> i know a few services out there that i can introduce you to. >> the undercover police officer was literally on the street for less than four minutes when she was approached. that as you can see the conversation is continuing. she didn't think he was a pimp she would have walked away by now. >> it's just all about negotiation. >> he never openly admits he's a pimp. but listen to what he does say. >> you need somebody that's going to give you guidance somebody you can rely on, somebody you can call when the chips are down somebody you can call when chips are up. somebody to be there for you and keep you focused. it's not easy out here, you know, for anybody. especially in the business. can get scary sometimes. >> somebody to give me guidance? >> to give you guidance. >> in las vegas encouraging or promoting prostitution is a felony called pandering. and the cops believe there's no mistaking what he has in mind.

>> if you need me to help you, then i'm at your service. you got to make your next move be the best move. if you need me there you got to invest in me. what i'm saying by invest in me i'm saying i can't do things for free. >> the undercover police officer pre pretends she's interested and tells the suspect she's got an appointment to turn a trick and will call him when she's done. >> can i get your number? i have to what? >> i'm going to have to pay you for it? can i call you after i meet this guy? >> an hour later the expected pimp is back to collect his money. >> cause a lot of guys will try to take you. >> they walk into a casino. that's when the undercover cop hands him the cash she says is from the trick she just turned. and police move in. he agrees to talk to me before he heads off to jail. hey, christopher, chris hansen with "dateline" nbc.

how are you doing? can you tell me what happened tonight? >> hanging out, man. >> the suspect insists he never approached her. the other way around. >> who made the first contact? >> she made eye contact with me. >> she made eye contact. >> i said hey, she said hey. she's a good looking woman, i'm a good looking dude. >> but the real question was it all about prostitution? did you tell her you could be her pimp? >> i never had -- i never been a pimp in my life. >> you never been a pimp in your life? >> i'm not a pimp. >> but you see how this looks. >> i see how it looks, but what it looks is not what it really is. you know i understand that this was a sting operation. i understand that i feel like i've been victimized. i understand that i'm going to jail right now. >> but you didn't have to take her money. you didn't have to promise her certain things. that a pimp would promise. >> the economy's bad. i can't find a job nowhere. my intentions wasn't to come out here and do this. my intention was to get a couple drinks and go back home.

>> what would have happened had she not been there? >> i would have walked to 7-eleven, put time on my phone, went home. and been watching "dateline" nbc tomorrow with somebody else on the news. >> christopher pleaded guilty to pandering and was sentenced to three years probation. as you can see the idea that prostitution is tolerated in vegas is a myth. now, there's this image i think that some people have of prostitution in las vegas being this glamorous high class world of call girls. >> that's a fallacy. it is violent. it's vial. it's degrading. >> this woman says she was caught up in that violent world, a victim she says of a pimp who lured her to las vegas for prostitution. >> there are plenty other girls just like me. >> take a deep breath. >> now the police will be coming to her rescue. that's next. and coming up later, money for nothing. we'll take you to a secret garage where somebody's cooking up counterfeits.

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i'm richard lui with your hour's top stories. heavy rain hitting south carolina for a second weekend causing flash flooding in the area. system dumped up to three inches this morning causing creeks to rise. last weekend more than a foot of rain fell on the city damaging hundreds of homes. in dublin ten people died in ireland's deadlyist fire in 34 years. detectives say it's too early to determine a cause, but a spokesman for the dublin fire brigade says the flames appear to have started in one home and spread to the second. now back to "vegas undercover."

you know girls are young and naive. and they'll pretty much believe anything that a sweet guy has to say to them. and that's what i did. and there are plenty other girls out there just like me. >> it started as an online relationship. >> and everything seemed to be great. he promised me the world. he was going to take care of me and my kids. >> but she says that all changed. and that's why the pimp investigative team is gathered here in this parking lot. she told police what happened while she and her new boyfriend were at dinner one night. >> there were a couple gentlemen over there. he had said something to me like why don't you go over there and talk to them see what you can do for us. >> she thought he was suggesting she offer herself for sex. >> and i thought he was kidding. so i kind of laughed it off. >> but when they got back to his house, donna says harris let her know he wasn't joking at all. >> he says why didn't you do what i told you to do? i make the decisions now. you don't make your own decisions. he was like you were supposed to go over there and talk to those

gentlemen like i told you and make us some money. >> she said she needed to get out, and fast. >> so i was packing my stuff. he came over and put his right arm around my stomach. i tried to pull away and he threw me across the room. >> terrified she says she fled the house barefoot. >> i didn't have any shoes on. >> just bolted. >> i ran out the front door. >> that's when she called 911. >> he slapped me and then he-he poked me in the eye and he like beat me up and stuff like that. >> turns out after donna called 911 harris called police as well claiming he was the victim. that she hit him. >> well um my girlfriend got a little agitated with me and like hit me repeatedly and kicked me and went crazy. >> but police didn't believe him especially since he's been arrested for pandering before. now the pimp investigative team wants to bring harris in. they ask donna to call him and arrange a meeting. >> i know we got off on the wrong foot and things went sour or whatever. >> she tries to get harris to make admissions on the phone.

you wanted me to be your only and biggest source of income. >> in the end he declines to meet her. police decide to close in on his house with s.w.a.t. team. >> harris come outside and do it now. >> but harris isn't there. and his neighbor isn't surprised to see the police. >>. what kind of neighbor was he? >> the police were here at least half a dozen times. >> yeah. >> and a couple times they brought him in and he was crying like a baby. >> hey, steven how are you doing, man? >> detectives come up with another plan. they tell harris to meet them at a starbucks so they can sort out what happened. they tell him they're investigating whether donna really did start the fight. >> you know i obviously haven't gotten a chance to talk to you. i want to talk to you a little about what happened the other night. she gave me her side of the story. >> and harris takes the bait. it's about five minutes after 2:00. harris said he'd be here at the starbucks at 2:00 to meet with

the detective. when harris shows up the cops move in and arrest him. he agrees to talk to me. i'm chris hansen. nice to see you. i'd shake your hand except you look -- we're doing a story on pimps in las vegas. >> lucky for me huh? >> lucky for you. you ever see our show "to catch a predator". >> yeah, that's what i'm saying. what's she 17 or something? >> no no. >> good. >> harris says he did nothing wrong. that donna found him online. her photos maybe what attracted him. what was your plan for donna? >> i was going to make her my lady. >> your lady? >> yeah my woman. >> harris insists he's not a pimp and never asked donna to approach a group of men when they were out to dinner. what about at the restaurant that time when she says -- >> was y'all following us around at the restaurant that time? >> i'll get to that in a bit. >> i'm going to ask you like this, if i was a so-called pimp

i would never let someone of my girls go solicit somebody while they're with me. get real. why would i do that? that's just dumpb. if i was a pimp i wouldn't do that. >> remember, he called police to say donna hit him, not the other way around. so you're the victim here? >> honestly i am the victim. first she beats me up. i call domestic violence on her and now i'm going to jail for pimping. yes, honestly i'm the victim here. >> before he goes off to jail harris offers a word of advice. >> that's our system. that's what i want folks to know. so men out there if you think you want to call the cops because your spouse beat you up you might want to think about that again. >> all right. listen, i appreciate you talking to me. >> no problem. appreciate you guys talking to me. keep up the good work. i like that show. >> appreciate that. you take care. harris pleaded guilty to pandering. while the pimp squad takes harris away the undercover store front is still attracting suspects who seem to think they have a license to steal. but one in particular thinks he

has a license to print money. >> [ bleep ]. >> that's next. and coming up later, is that you right there? >> yeah. >> they're back. it's a roundup of suspects. and they're caught by surprise when they learn they're caught on tape. did you try to sell some counterfeit money? >> no i didn't no. >> i have a videotape i think you may want to see. still ahead on "vegas undercover."

for the past nine months inside the undercover fencing operation police have purchased items you'd expect from thieves. cars and guns. now they encounter something

they never imagined. it's certainly something we've never seen. meet 39-year-old brian rusty king. his merchandise? counterfeit hundred dollar bills. fake money he says is a profitable business. >> i've made so much money off this it's [ bleep ] unbelievable. >> in his pocket $2,000 worth of the fakes. >> what do you have on you right now? >> couple grand. i got $2,000 on me. >> he hands the bogus bills to the undercover cops. where does he get the counterfeits? he says from some really scary guys. >> they don't [ bleep ] around. they're real serious people. no joking laughing. just real quiet. >> the undercover cops carefully examine the counterfeit bills and offer to pay 20 cents on the dollar. he takes the $500 in real curb si currency for the $2,000 in counterfeits. how does he keep the bills straight? >> i got two, one is real money.

>> rusty says passing counterfeit money has not been difficult. he says he simply spends real money in a store, gets change from the clerk then quickly finds an excuse to introduce a fake bill. >> and i turn around like i'm going to walk away and, oh yeah, can you get me a pack of cigarettes. throw it down, they don't think. they just give them to you. they don't think to sit there and look at them. >> i got ya. >> i haven't had one problem. >> he claims some of the money is also passed into circulation by an insider at a casino. he says takes his fake bills and gives him real currency. >> i got one guy cashier at a casino, six different people walk in take $500 a piece and they go [ bleep ] cashier, give him the money he takes it. but the way he inserts it and turns it in i guess somehow he's mixing it up. >> rusty says the counterfeiters have been trying to refine the

process in an effort to improve the product. in fact he says they're holding back some recently printed bills to make sure they're just perfect. >> we're waiting now just to see hold the bill for a couple days and see if anything funny happens like you know changes color or anything weird. >> the cops want to know more about how these bills are made. a lot more. so a few weeks later rusty is back. now rusty tells them he's on his oeb, there aren't any partners. and this time in a garage behind the store front for $1,500 he will give them a demonstration in the fine art of counterfeiting. we're watching from the back room. rusty has no idea that he's talking to an undercover police officer. first he takes real $5 bills and sets out to remove all of their ink. apparently making counterfeit money isn't as high-tech as one would imagine. he soaks them in a de-greaser bought at an automotive store. and heats them up for a minute

or so in a microwave oven. >> good amount of time leave in there. >> what happens to leave it in there? >> no longer than ten minutes in there at all. >> he teaches them how to brush the bills clean. rusty is showing the undercover officers how to clean the bills. actually taking the ink right off. he finishes washing the bill in a bowl of water and sprays it with a household cleaner. >> what does that do? >> just cleaning the crap off of it. >> okay. >> this is giving new meaning to the phrase laundering money. then he uses a hair drier to finish the drying process. when he's done what used to be a $5 bill is virtually blank. except for the water mark of abraham lincoln. to make the fake hundred he'll use an inkjet printer. >> so inkjet printer?

>> right. inkjet. >> he scans a photo of a real $100 bill. >> machine scan and that's what's going on here. >> and prints it on top of the blank paper he just created from that $5 bill. >> you just solved our problem. >> the job is finished. the result a counterfeit $100 bill. what's the quality? the police say as counterfeits go it's fairly good. so if somebody were to take the time and hold this up to a light, you could actually see abraham lincoln and the $5 strip here. >> correct. >> but most people don't do that. >> right. most people just look to see that there's some sort of portrait, which is a reflection. and they look to see that there's some sort of strip here. >> but for his part rusty's proud of his work. >> unless you're an expert in money how are you going to tell -- >> in case you're thinking of trying this at home you should know we've left out a number of key steps. and one more thing, counterfeiting is a felony

punishable by up to 15 years in prison. when the demonstration is done the undercover detectives tell rusty they'll be in touch. >> take care. >> that may be an understatement. >> we got him in custody.

oówowpwñk?sçzl/=kñw ñoç;?q/???ñññwóçowñwíçwfoóoñoj7ó?ñ?u8qbucác(?ñç we've been watching as undercover las vegas detectives catch suspected car thieves and pimps. >> safety's of the utmost importance to us. we want everybody to come back safe. >> now after a 10-month investigation, the undercover fencing operation has ended. it's time to roundup the suspects. lieutenant dave logue briefs his officers. >> be on heightened awareness with the police.

don't let your guard down. >> teams of police will be fanning out across las vegas in search of 38 suspects who are accused of selling stolen goods to police. some have left town. but they find many others. there was christopher woods who sold guns to undercover officers. he's brought to police headquarters. hey, chris, chris hansen with "dateline" nbc. we're doing a story on the metro investigation. >> i don't want to talk to you, sir. >> that's your right. >> we've taken them and shot them. >> don't you want to see it? >> no. >> all right. thanks for your time. christopher pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 6 to 20 years in prison. here comes allison hunt. she's the single mom who sold us stolen car. hey allison. >> yes. >> chris hansen with "dateline"

nbc. >> i have no idea what they're talking about. >> did you ever get involved in stolen items or stolen vehicles? >> no. i don't know what they're talking about. i don't go anywhere. i have a kid. >> you've never even gone to a place to try to sell a stolen vehicle? >> no. >> you're >> are you sure? >> yes. >> can i show you something? is that you right there? >> driving up and down boulder highway, at night, in the day. >> with her memory refreshed, she admits trying to sell the car. she says a male friend who was staying with her asked her to sell it for him. >> and that's you right there. >> yeah, talking about driving around in a stolen vehicle. >> i mean i didn't know if it was or not. it was my friend's, he said he wanted to sell is. i said i don't know. she said the only way to get him out of the house was to go along. >> he came over to my house and i couldn't get rid of him. i couldn't get rid of him. >> you decide dodd sell a stolen car for him. to get rid of him? >> i didn't know in it was stolen or not. i didn't think it was. i didn't think anybody would do

that to me. i have a kid. you don't understand how bad this person was. he was a weirdo, he was walking around without a shirt on. acting like he lived there. >> that doesn't make it okay to sell a stolen car. >> i know that i didn't know it was stolen. i didn't know that. >> you're a victim in all this? >> yeah, yeah. >> how would you describe the situation you're in now? >> awful. i mean absolutely awful. i -- i'd rather be dead than to be here right now. but i would worry about how my kid was going to be raised. i am so sorry. if there's anything i can do to make up for it, i would be happy to. >> well thank you for talking to us, i appreciate it. >> yeah, thanks. >> and good luck with everything, okay. >> yeah, thanks. >> allison pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years of probation. remember rusty? >> the machine scans this every time. >> he showed police how to print bogus $ 100 bills. >> he's staying westbound.

>> police picked him up days earlier on an outstanding drunk driving warrant. he has no idea anyone knows about his counterfeiting. >> we got him in custody. >> we were allowed into the jail to ask him some questions. hey, rusty, how are you? chris hansen with "dateline" nbc. i want you to have a seat here. remember, he thinks he's here on a d.u.i. but police have allowed us to reveal we know all about his counterfeiting. he agrees to talk to me and at first, denies it. did you go to a storefront business and try to sell some counterfeit money? >> no, i didn't go to one, no. >> no? no? >> i did go to a storefront business, but i didn't try to sell anything to them like counterfeit money, no. >> why did you go there? >> why did i go there? >> yeah. >> because thai contacted me wanting some information from me. >> what kind of information did they want? >> about counterfeiting. >> about counterfeiting. >> did you tell them anything? >> yes. >> when when did you tell them? >> i showed them what somebody showed me.

exactly how to do it. >> do you know how to do counterfeiting? >> just what i read on the internet and stuff. >> for the first time he's about to see evidence of his appearance inside the police sting. >> i have a videotape that i think you may want to see, can i play it for you? >> sure. >> that's you right there. now you seem to know an awful lot about counterfeiting money here, rusty, i got to tell you that. >> they showed you? >> i learned it like i said, on the internet and stuff like that. >> now before this is all over you produce a crisp $100 bill. and you basically tell them how to do it. and then on top of that, how to pass this $100 bill. how it works in casinos, how you can do it in a convenience store. >> all right. >> how many of those $100 bills have you made over the years, rusty? >> not many. >> that's not what you said here. rusty now says he was just

blowing smoke. >> how much money in reality do you think you made? >> none. jack. >> not jack? >> no. seriously. >> give me a ballpark. >> nothing, probably. i mean i haven't passed any of them myself. and never would try. because i mean, honestly, to look at them. they don't really look that real. >> but if they didn't real, why did he say on hidden camera that he carries two wallets, to tell the bills apart. >> i carry two wallets, i got one with the real money. >> well then how come you have one wallet for real money and one wallet for counterfeit money? >> that's b.s., also. >> there's a whole lot of b.s. floating around here, rusty. >> there was a lot of b.s. going around there. >> why even get involved in this? >> i don't know. >> wise guy stuff? >> stupid, [ bleep ] stupidity. >> you're in jail now, this could potentially send you to jail for an even longer period of time. >> yeah. >> allegations of forgery, burglary.

yeah. >> well i don't know. how do you get yourself into this position? how does it get here? >> i don't know. >> how did it come to this? how would you characterize the situation you're in now, how would you describe it? >> [ bleep ] disgusting. >> is there anything else you want folks to know about what happened here? >> no, i think that's it. >> thanks for your time. >> thanks. >> rusty has pleaded guilty to conspiracy, burglary and forgery, he was sentenced to one to three years in prison. remember, sheryl miller, nicknamed chevy? she came into the storefront to sell stolen cars. she was recently locked up for passing bad checks and like rusty, doesn't know she was caught in a police sting. hey sheryl, chris hansen, i'm with "dateline" nbc, how are you. >> i'm fine. >> would you like to have a seat? >> not really. if i have to. >> trust me, you don't have to

do anything. i wanted to ask you a couple of questions about an investigation we're doing a story on. can i show you a videotape that i think you might like to see? >> sure. >> it doesn't take long for sheryl to realize she's in trouble. did you think it might have been an undercover investigation? >> i did. i did. >> did you help sell vehicles? >> i helped, yes. >> you were a part of the deals? >> yes. well -- no, i just brought people there, to do that. >> you were the middleman. >> yes. >> so to speak? >> yes. >> you had people who had vehicles and guns to sell. you knew of this place that the guys were buying them. >> uh-huh. >> and you put the deals together? >> yes. >> does that make you just as guilty as the person who stole the car? >> absolutely. >> how did you end up in such a jam like this? >> when you're beaten from the age of three and a half until 14, you don't stand much of a chance. >> she claims a man she knew

beat and sexually molested her. >> i got pregnant with his baby when i was 13, you know. it's just one of those. >> so what he did to you, put you in a tough spot from the get-go? >> from the age of 14 i was on the streets. >> how do you survive at the age of 14 years old on the streets of las vegas? >> the criminals raise you. you get raised by criminals here. >> she says she has three children and has been strung out on crystal meth for years. >> how do you break that cycle of crime? how do you finally get out of it? i'm guessing you don't want to be here. >> you're asking a 40-year-old woman has not broke the cycle. three children. cared more about what i was doing and the drugs and everything else more than i did my own children. >> is it in some ways a relief to be in jail and away from meth and that lifestyle? >> yeah. it is. i have somewhere to sleep at night. my kids will graduate because they're not out with me. >> how are they doing? >> fabulous.

because i didn't raise them. >> do you talk to them at all? >> no. no. >> how hard is that for you, you know, in these long stretches of sobriety in jail? to cope with the fact that you don't have a relationship with your kids? >> it tears you up inside. >> sheryl pleaded guilty and was sentenced to eight to 20 years in prison. >> sheryl, thanks so much. i appreciate it. >> uh-huh. >> stories like hers are not lost on sheriff doug gillespie. >> do you ever feel sorry for a person like that? >> you do. you know, you do. it doesn't make what they've done right, by any stretch. >> he says there are programs designed to help people like sheryl. >> in law enforcement. we don't look at it from the enforcement standpoint. we're looking from a prevention and education standpoint as well. if you do become addicted, here are services that are available

to you. you know, you have programs in place to give them opportunities to change their way of life. are there enough of those services? no. do we have to continue to work in that direction as well? yes. and i believe law enforcement is more engaged today than they ever have been. and those other aspects that impact what we do day to day. >> when people see this investigation, and the unprecedented access, what do you think the take-away should be? >> i think just reinforces to the public that we're just not out there driving around. that we are being proactive, we are being creative. and we are doing our level best to keep this community safe. >> and will continue to watch close-up and undercover.

>> that's all for now, i'm chris hansen. for all of us at nbc news, thanks for joining us. ♪ lights of las vegas flash day and night. beckoning her visitors to let loose and let it roll. but not far from the dazzling lights a darker side of vegas is buzzing with its own kind of action. inside this little shop -- >> i have two malibus. >> -- shady deals are going down. stolen goods for sale. >> i just got a plasma. 51-inch. >> this guy's cashing in on a truck he car jacked, bragging about beating up the driver. >> hit him one time. [ bleep ] boom.