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Man busted with billion dollar bills
Reuters ^ | March 15, 2006 | Staff

Posted on 03/15/2006 1:37:49 AM PST by MadIvan

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The counterfeit money looked good, but there was one flaw. There's no such thing as a one billion dollar bill.

U.S. Customs agents in California said on Tuesday they had found 250 bogus billion dollar bills while investigating a man charged with currency smuggling.

Tekle Zigetta, 45, pleaded guilty to three federal counts of trying to bring cash, phoney bills and a fake $100,000 (57,000 pound) gold certificate into the United States in January.

Further investigation led agents to a West Hollywood apartment where they found the stash of yellowing and wrinkled one billion dollar bills with an issue date of 1934 and bearing a picture of President Grover Cleveland.

"You would think the $1 billion denomination would be a giveaway that these notes are fake, but some people are still taken in," said James Todak, a secret services agent involved in the probe.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Crime/Corruption; Government; News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: billion; counterfeit; grovercleveland
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It's rather ironic that Grover Cleveland, a President who advocated sound money, would be a target to be put on funny money.

Regards, Ivan

1 posted on 03/15/2006 1:37:53 AM PST by MadIvan
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To: LadyofShalott; Tolik; mtngrl@vrwc; pax_et_bonum; Alkhin; agrace; lightingguy; EggsAckley; ...

Ping!


2 posted on 03/15/2006 1:40:10 AM PST by MadIvan (You underestimate the power of the Dark Side - http://www.sithorder.com/)
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To: MadIvan

I think they are using $1-billion-dollar bills in Zimbabwe these days. No joke.


3 posted on 03/15/2006 1:42:24 AM PST by Lancey Howard
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To: Lancey Howard

Naw, it's Nigeria.


4 posted on 03/15/2006 1:43:44 AM PST by moog
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To: MadIvan

"And I'll con them for...one billion dollars!"

5 posted on 03/15/2006 1:45:54 AM PST by WestVirginiaRebel (A fool and his money are soon parted. Democrats love fools.)
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To: MadIvan

"You would think the $1 billion denomination would be a giveaway that these notes are fake, but some people are still taken in," said James Todak, a secret services agent involved in the probe.

###

Anyone that stupid would be taken in by Monopoly Money. This dumb-ass should have plead not guilty and claimed it was play money like those $3.00 bills with Clinton’s picture that went around.


6 posted on 03/15/2006 1:46:13 AM PST by SUSSA
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To: MadIvan

Right... Someone - anyone is going to take a billion dollar bill seriously... Like anyone could make change...

The "bill" is obviously useless. How can it be a crime to have one???


7 posted on 03/15/2006 1:46:51 AM PST by DB (©)
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To: MadIvan
Imagine what I could do with a billion dollar bill. But it would take an awfully long time to get the correct change and then some.

(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")

8 posted on 03/15/2006 1:47:34 AM PST by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives On In My Heart Forever)
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To: SUSSA

The one I have is a six dollar bill...


9 posted on 03/15/2006 1:47:36 AM PST by DB (©)
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To: DB
Few people have seen a $10,000 bill in circulation.

(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")

10 posted on 03/15/2006 1:49:41 AM PST by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives On In My Heart Forever)
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To: DB

I believe 10 Japanese investors were recently conned out of $125,000 a piece (over a milion total) on some investment scam involving the purchase of a rare and collectible US $1,000,000,000 bill. I am sure they were all the kind that would fall for the Nigerian gag.


11 posted on 03/15/2006 1:50:17 AM PST by ARCADIA (Abuse of power comes as no surprise)
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To: MadIvan

Is this the largest $ figure ever confiscated at $250Bn?
Very lame attempt, but in any case it is $250,000,000,000.00


12 posted on 03/15/2006 1:50:31 AM PST by JoeSixPack1
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To: DB

One of my grandsons has the one I had. It was a $3.00 bill.

After reading this I hope he doesn't get arrested.


13 posted on 03/15/2006 1:51:12 AM PST by SUSSA
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To: goldstategop

The $10,000 bill was never in circulation. It was used exclusively by the federal banking system to handle internal settlements in the days before electronic transfers.


14 posted on 03/15/2006 1:52:27 AM PST by ARCADIA (Abuse of power comes as no surprise)
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To: MadIvan

Those billion dollar bills are tough to make change for cashiers.


15 posted on 03/15/2006 1:53:25 AM PST by xp38
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To: MadIvan

I would say only a handful of New Zealand can answer "Cleveland who?". They may have a large chance of knowing who William Gladstone was, though.

For us to remembering names of 19th century US Presidents after Madison and before Teddy Roosevelt, except Lincoln, would be akin to remembering the names of every Canadian Prime Ministers in the modern era for non-Canadians.


16 posted on 03/15/2006 1:55:55 AM PST by NZerFromHK (Leftism is like honey mixed with arsenic: initially it tastes good, but that will end up killing you)
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To: goldstategop

17 posted on 03/15/2006 2:08:36 AM PST by Skylab
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To: MadIvan

A cup of coffee, please, and break this. It's all I have on me.


18 posted on 03/15/2006 2:13:50 AM PST by JoeGar
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To: DB

How is it even a counterfeit as there is no real one? What is it a counterfeit of? If he tried to "pass" one he would be guilty of fraud, though.


19 posted on 03/15/2006 3:50:11 AM PST by arthurus (Better to fight them OVER THERE than over here.)
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To: SUSSA

If a billion dollar bill is countereit then so is Monopoly money.


20 posted on 03/15/2006 3:51:23 AM PST by arthurus (Better to fight them OVER THERE than over here.)
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