European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 9, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse Tie secret service seizes nearly so percent of All counterfeit Bills before they hit the streets. On the Alert for bogus greenbacks by Ted Appel United press International counterfeiting has changed a lol since German born sign Painter Emanue Ninger painstakingly Drew and distributed More than $40.000 in $20. $50 and $100 bits in inc late 19lh Century. Sophisticated copying machines and offset printing presses have replaced Ninger s pens and brushes but the lure of an endless Supply of free Money continues to tempt both skillful printers and imaginative amateurs. In fiscal 1986, secret service agents working around Erma Bombick the United Stales captured enough Fako greenbacks to finance a Small lie Dom $38,840,799 to be exact More than 116 million in California alone before they could be passed to the Public. The Public that year was defrauded o $6-87 Mon. Said Mike Cohen in agent in the Federal Agency s los Angeles held office. Honest people who turn in counterfeit Bills to inc government get a polite thank you but no Reward or compensation far their loss. Whoever is holding the currency is the loser Cohen said. It someone goes in and passes a counterfeit note at the local grocery sworn. And in 1he grocer does not catch it and sends it in to the Bank the Bank would catch it and debit his account Cohen said. By Taw the Bank is forced to turn in owe to i to secret the secret service formed in 1865 when More than Ono third of America s currency in circulation waa counter foil annually Sofos nearly 90 percent of All counter foil Bills before the funny Money hits the St cols Cohen said that is our objective to get in and seize Tho plants and the operation we Rylo Stop it to Foo it hits Tho streets and before in Hils fac most counterfeiters Are printers by Rade or have Access to printing facilities said Robert Mcknight an agent in Tho san Franciso office. While counter Leflere motivations Are varied most Aro driven by Ihor go Conorie personalities said Mcknight adding they think they can produce something that s not three cases in los Angeles ii year illustrate the scope of counterfeit operations. In one Case a 26-year-old Man who worked in a print shop was arcs cd in june for printing bogus Dollar Bills and using hem in change machines to get $520 Worth of quarters in another Case in july a 24-year-old print shop employee was arrested with �49,000 in phony $20 Bills altar janitors found some of the currency in trimmed form in the print shop s trash cans. Last february in one of the largest operations in recent history Federal agents seized $17.7 million to High Quality counterfeit 1100 Bills and arrested two men. The government claims the suspects were trying to sell the Bills Lor 30 cents on the Dollar a relatively High Price Lor counterfeit. You might have an excellent legitimate Printer who was approached by someone who made him an Oiler that he could t refuse Cohen said. Or you might have some Young people who got carried away with a print shop in whatever he motive counterfeiting is considered a serious crime. Possession of counterfeit Bills can be punishable by 15 years in prison and a $5,000 line. Ninger. Who was arrested in 1896 after counterfeiting for 17 years served 15 years in jail. He was caught when a new York grocery clerk took one of his bogus $100 Bills with wet hands causing the Ink to run. Counterfeiting is definitely. Not a crime of passion Cohen said. They have to think about in. It s a premeditated crime. They have to plan Somo Coute Fetters spend years Honing their design for phony currency but no bogus Bill is perfect said Richard Adams a spokesman for the see Rel service in Washington. . The distinctive paper used or genuine Federal Reserve notes is manufactured by Crane and co of Dalton mass., employing an undisclosed formula and is available Only to the government Adams said still Cohen said the Best Protection is to slay Alert for suspicious looking Bills. Take a genuine note of Tho same denomination and set Thorn Side by Sido and took at them closely he said. You la see Little red and Blue fibres. Counterfeit Money does not have the same Quality. They Don l have the same High tech equipment he said. A Good note looks Good because of its High Quality and the craftsmanship Al Nifte Bureau of engraving and did Ycu Ever notice How teen agers have an orphan wish there is a reason Lor this. Around the age of 11 or 12 they realize that mothers Are like dental floss. They should never be seen in Public. If at All. From that moment on a Leem Ager s past is shrouded in mystery. He was never conceived in passion nor born of woman like everything else mortal he just appeared one Day like an apparition. He has no car and is not old enough to drive yet every Day at school he alights Dom one which is driven by a phantom to has no visible Means of income yet he always has Money and wears clothes with All the right names on them. When he is cased and is not Home someone ides his messages but the voice never materializes i have often wondered who As nose adults arc who roam around on Parent Day Al Camp and open House at school Why Are a Itoe when they Are obviously childless a lot of things bothered me Aboul raising teen agers. Page 16 the stars and stripes taut being invisible was not one of them. By the time my kids developed hormones i was going through my nun phase end in All worked out somehow. I was perfectly Conland to drive he car and have them talk about me like i had expired. Or hide out in the Furnace room when they gave a party. 1 was a Little surprised myself when a teacher spoke to me and i was visible to her. I remember once Al a skating rink i was instructed by my two teen agora to Park the car on a Side Street and let them out so everyone would think they look the bus. I was Given explicit instructions that if i opted logo inside he rink and Wail the other option was to freeze to death in the Cari was not to acknowledge them in any Way. When they Ware ready logo Home they would go to the door and i would follow discreetly five or 10 minutes later so As not to stir up suspicion about an hour into the afternoon i was talking with j wednesday september 9, 1987 group of mothers when one of the kids skated Over and said mom you Gat an extra Dollar. I m said whats matter kid Loso your Mother ii was a Sweet moment. A Mother in California writes that she has just been asked to Lake an Early retirement from motherhood my son needed a Ndelo a football game and As we were going too we offered him a ride. Our son hesitated because no one goes to games with parents i promised that no one would suspect such a thing. Our son quickly Gol out of Tho car and distanced himself from us. So i shouted to him i. How is your Mother Tell her til Call her next week for lunch. Why Don t you meet us at Tho Gale i told her we d give you a fell Home after the game " the woman from California is a Saint i d have been tempted to leave him there and have him picked up for vagrancy. Id los Langwm to sync to
