Bernard von NotHaus, who was convicted in 2011 of counterfeiting charges for minting and distributing a form of private money called the Liberty Dollar, has finally been sentenced.
U.S. District Judge Richard Vorhees upheld the conviction but sentenced 70-year old NotHaus to only six months house arrest. Federal prosecutors had asked for a sentence of between 14 and 17 years in prison.
Good for him considering what might have happened. I have one of his silver certificates from way back; not because I thought the scheme would catch on but because I thought the warehouse receipt an interesting keepsake. Also, it looks very nice. A brave fellow with THE most unfortunate last name in the alternate currency business.
ReplyDeleteIt's paradoxical: a German noble "of the Need-House". I think that beats Sir Peter Bauer for irony. And no one will forget it, either. Based on his name and "crime" alone, he's already in the running for " The Most Interesting Man Alive."
DeleteStill an injustice, but a lot better than the alternative!
ReplyDeleteWhy was he trying to make his "liberty dollar" look like a federal reserve note? That's why he was convicted of counterfeiting. Had nothing to do with "private money." Maybe you think there is a law requiring people to use federal reserve notes. There is no such law.
DeleteAs to "tender" law: Well, not as such. But... FED notes trump any other form of payment, thus driving out competing currencies.
DeleteAnd he certainly didn't want to confuse his (valuable) notes with (fiat) FED notes!
It's obvious, the whole prosecution (persecution?) was punitive and frankly, sadistic.
So he was convicted of attempting to counterfeit a counterfeiter? This rivals a Victor Hugo novel for irony
DeleteFederal Judges never resign rather than commit a gross injustice.
ReplyDelete