Man busted in Calif. with billion dollar bills

[SouthFloridawx]

Man busted in Calif. with billion dollar bills Tue Mar 14, 8:22 PM ET



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, phony bills and a fake $100,000 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.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060315/us_nm/billion_dc

[GalvestonDuck]

"You would think the $1 billion denomination would be a giveaway that these notes are fake, but some people are still taken in,"

Seriously, how many people could accept it as payment...and make change?

[wxmann_91]

I would not want to have a piece of paper in my wallet that is worth a billion dollars.

[coriolis]

Shawn, could you run to the store for me to get a pack of gum? All I have is this Billion.

[O Town]

Shawn, could you run to the store for me to get a pack of gum? All I have is this Billion.

[alicia-w]

I would not want to have a piece of paper in my wallet that is worth a billion dollars.

not to worry, it wasnt worth the paper it was printed on.