A Warren man will spend time in state prison after ordering counterfeit money online and using it to pay for a vehicle.

Branden M. Busche, 29, of Warren, was sentenced Friday to 12 to 36 months in a state correctional institution, for theft by deception, by Judge Gregory Hammond.

Warren County Public Defender John Parroccini asked Hammond to impose a county sentence. “Each time he is incarcerated, he is an exemplary inmate,” Parroccini said. “He is a hard worker” at the jail.

“Mr. Busche’s employment history is abysmal,” District Attorney Rob Greene said. “He can’t hold a steady job and has three children he doesn’t take care of.” Greene asked for a sentence at the high end of the standard range.

Hammond cited three local employers that had given Busche chances. “Attorney Greene indicates you’re a career thief,” he said. “I think you’d be better served keeping those jobs” and earning money honestly.

Hammond denied a defense motion to withdraw plea in the case, calling the motion “meritless and frivolous.”

He said he could think of “no other reason to pay real money for counterfeit money” except to fraudulently obtain goods and services.

“It doesn’t seem like you’re having any success in Warren County,” Hammond said.

In addition to the prison time, Busche was sentenced to a $1,000 fine, $625 in fees, a DNA test, and to have no contact with the victim. He is eligible for boot camp and recidivism risk reduction initiative.