A spelling error foils £1 trillion fraud in US bonds -

The Telegraph - UK ^ | September 19, 2003 | Nicolas Woolcock

[UnklGene]

A spelling error foils £1 trillion fraud in US bonds By Nicola Woolcock (Filed: 19/09/2003)

A forensic scientist who led one of the world's biggest potential frauds was exposed by a spelling error, a court was told yesterday.

Graham Halksworth, 69, who helped to pioneer fingerprint evidence, authenticated £1.55 trillion of United States treasury bonds that he knew were fake.

He denied two charges of conspiracy to defraud, but was convicted at Snaresbrook Crown Court, east London, after an 11-week trial. Judge William Birtles said he faced a "substantial custodial sentence".

The false documents, with a face value of more than all the gold ever mined, were used by other criminals to obtain credit.

But the scheme was detected when two men tried to cash £15.5 million of the notes at a Canadian bank. It was noticed that the word "dollar" was printed on the bonds instead of "dollars".

Further checks showed that they were produced on an inkjet printer, although the bonds were supposed to have been issued in 1934.

Halksworth, of Mossley, Greater Manchester, insisted that the bonds were genuine and said they were issued by the US government in a secret attempt to undermine the communist revolution in China.

He claimed that an aircraft in which the bonds were carried had crashed in the Philippines and that they were recovered by locals. They were contained, however, in boxes made of modern plastic and bore false postcodes.

He stored the bonds at the HSBC bank in Holborn, central London, in 22 cases that had been stamped with the American golden eagle. Halksworth was cleared of another charge of conspiracy to defraud.

During his 35-year career, Halksworth, who founded a company that provided forensic equipment to police forces around the world, authenticated 5,000 historical documents for clients including the Chinese and German governments, and worked for HSBC bank and the Bank of England.

Michael Slamaj, 52, a Canadian resident holding a Yugoslavian passport who lived in Earls Court, west London, was convicted of possession of fake bonds.

He was arrested after he asked a solicitor to help him sell £31 million of the bonds. Police later recovered documents with a face value of £93 billion from Slamaj's safety deposit boxes.

Sentencing was adjourned until Oct 31.

[Jorge]

Further checks showed that they were produced on an inkjet printer, although the bonds were supposed to have been issued in 1934.

Mega duh to the max.

[Servant of the 9]

I love stupid criminals

So9

[tubebender]

At least George Soros used his wit to beat a British Bank out of $1 billion in currency exchange. I hear the bank failed because of it...

[sarasmom]

BTTT
Economic terrorism ties perhaps?
Or just your average run of the mill stupid liberal crimes exposed.

[Dog Gone]

Halksworth was cleared of another charge of conspiracy to defraud.

That deserves an explanation.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Halksworth, of Mossley, Greater Manchester, insisted that the bonds were genuine and said they were issued by the US government in a secret attempt to undermine the communist revolution in China.

You get one guess as to his political leanings.

[John Beresford Tipton]

Memo to Self: Better have Michael Anthony check the vaults at Silverstone.

[Rodney King]

He probably would have gotten away with it if he hadn't gotten greedy, and instead kept the sums to a reasonable level.

[steplock]

What's the exchange rate?

What ever happened to the MULTI-BILLION $$$ in Bonds & counterfeit $$$ that was recovered in CHina?

What ever happened to that left-wing radical actor who was caught crossing the border into (germany??) with MILLION$ $$$ in cash?? Claims he was going to buy a car?!?! !

Why does NOBODY question this??

[steplock]

How soon our media and therefore our citizens forget.....


http://www.gohotsprings.com/focus/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=310

March 12, 2003
Actor Don Johnson is caught up in a money-laundering probe by German authorities, who say they found the "Miami Vice" star in a car with a suitcase stuffed with $8 billion worth of share certificates, bonds and credit notes when he crossed the Swiss border.

Johnson became "extremely critical" when they photocopied the documents. Johnson "worried whether American tax authorities would be informed."

http://www.gohotsprings.com/focus/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=290

Two Trillion Dollar Arrest
March 01, 2003

POLICE have arrested a man with two trillion US dollars in forged US treasury bonds in his possession, police said yesterday.

[coloradan]

This is the fish they caught. Any fish get away?

[lorrainer]

He probably would have gotten away with it if he hadn't gotten greedy, and instead kept the sums to a reasonable level.

A wise little man once said: "Pigs get fat. Hogs get slaughtered."

[AdamSelene235]

The Fed does this and they're "Engaged in a fierce battle to save the world from deflation" but go out and try to save the world from deflation by printing your own bonds and everyone gets all weird on you.