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Fake $1 billion Federal Reserve notes found in SoCal apartment
San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 3/14/06 | AP

Posted on 03/14/2006 8:15:05 PM PST by TFFKAMM

Federal authorities investigating a man who smuggled money into the country have seized 250 counterfeit bank notes in billion-dollar denominations, they announced Tuesday.

The 250 bogus Federal Reserve notes had 1934 issue dates and were stained to make them look old, but no such currency exists, said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Virginia Kice.

Federal authorities have not charged the man, Tekle Zigetta, in connection with the counterfeit notes, but warned that the sale or transfer of fake securities has increased in recent years. Scam artists typically sell phony government bank notes at a discounted value or use them as collateral to secure loans or make purchases.

"A billion is a substantial number, we want to ensure that no one was duped or fleeced by the passing of these documents," Kice said. "We also want to publicize this story to see if anyone out there has additional information to help us build a case."

Authorities opened an investigation into alleged currency smuggling by Zigetta in 2002 when he arrived at Los Angeles International Airport with $37,000 in undeclared cash following a trip to South Korea.

Zigetta, 45, returned to South Korea during the probe, and was indicted in December on one count each of bulk cash smuggling, failure to declare more than $10,000 in cash, and making a false statement to federal authorities, Kice said.

(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Foreign Affairs; Government; US: California
KEYWORDS: counterfeit; crime; currency; darwinaward; dumbcriminals; funnymoney; immigrantlist; scam; teklezigetta
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To: speedy

LMAO! I had a friend write me a million dollar check once....use it as a book mark!


41 posted on 03/14/2006 9:28:44 PM PST by BossLady
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To: BossLady

Yeah, it's a good cheap laugh, too -- my brother-in-law completely lost sight of the fact that I didn't give him an actual present. Million dollar check bookmarks are a way to really impress people, I would think.


42 posted on 03/14/2006 9:41:31 PM PST by speedy
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To: speedy

HAHAHA! I had it laminated......and it makes me laugh every time I see it....


43 posted on 03/14/2006 9:42:48 PM PST by BossLady
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To: BossLady

Sounds like it would be a good bookmark for one of those "How You Can Profit From The Coming Depression" kind of books.


44 posted on 03/14/2006 9:45:32 PM PST by speedy
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To: Calvin Locke

They were 10k bills. My egotistical grand-father had one.


45 posted on 03/14/2006 9:46:42 PM PST by Cobra64
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To: speedy

LOL! 'Preparing for the Coming Financial Apocalypse'


46 posted on 03/14/2006 9:47:38 PM PST by BossLady
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To: Hank Rearden
I use them to pick up babes. Expensive ones.


47 posted on 03/14/2006 9:56:49 PM PST by Larry Lucido
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To: TFFKAMM
Federal authorities investigating a man who smuggled money into the country have seized 250 counterfeit bank notes in billion-dollar denominations

Well, the guy thinks big anyhow.

48 posted on 03/14/2006 10:27:01 PM PST by paul51 (11 September 2001 - Never forget)
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To: TFFKAMM
"failure to declare more than $10,000 in cash"

Having $9,999 in my wallet is my business, but that extra buck makes it a CRIME not to divulge the info to a government employee.

Inventing 'crimes' where there is no crime.

49 posted on 03/14/2006 10:33:21 PM PST by JOAT
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