Grandfather counterfeiter Emerich Uttner: crime, punishment and unexpected wealth (9 photos)

What to do when you can’t live on honestly earned money? As an option - to live on made is not entirely honest.





The Great Depression destroyed many companies and destinies. Every survived as best he could. This modest Human. New Yorker Emerich Juttner, caught in the maelstrom of the Great depression, was already advanced in years and worked as a modest scavenger.



Photos from the Great Depression

Work and so allowed to barely stay afloat. And when the crisis broke out, it became very bad. And the old man decided as a help organize a modest underground business. Criminal - became counterfeiter.





Emerich Juttner

I must say that the representatives of this direction in that period and so it was like fleas on a dog. But they were caught. A modest grandfather decided not to be greedy and specialized exclusively in one-dollar bills. The sharks of the criminal business did not want to waste time on trifles - economically impractical. Besides, who will look after smallest piece of paper?

This played into the hands of Emerich. Banknotes at the grandfather of the criminal the world came out so-so, as if a child had painted. Even a surname he managed to misspell the president.



A real bill (top) and a fake from Juttner

But no matter how the rope twists, the tip is found. AND Secret Service agents from the Treasury were somewhat stunned when began to work out complaints about counterfeit one-dollar bills: the most cheap paper, poor print quality, dull colors. And this one wahsington? God, what a shame. And laughter.



Treasury secret service agents

Laughter with laughter, but in a year there have already been more than 500 fakes things. A case was opened against the modest quiet man and assigned the code name "Mr. 880". The counterfeiter acted very carefully: he did not spend more than 15 dollars, did not appear twice in the same place. Map the city was studded with red flags like a hedgehog with needles: so the agents noted the places where the pedant managed to manifest itself.

But New York is a huge city. And you can be quiet was almost all my life. Agents handed out leaflets and leaflets, sellers were instructed. But, again, the loss is small, and no one will examine small bills with a magnifying glass.



After the capture

So 10 years have passed. And Emerich would not have been discovered if not for accident. In 1948, a fire broke out in a residential building. And among of things that have fallen into disrepair, a cliché for printing was found on the ashes money is a very, very bad cliché. The owner of the apartment was immediately taken for gills. And it turned out to be a very, very old Juttner.

Unexpected happy ending



The old man could no longer work, lived in poverty. And their rude I spent fakes only on food and basic necessities. Data circumstances, advanced age, and the fact that Juttner did not deceived a single seller for more than a dollar, allowed the court to rule more than a lenient sentence: one dollar fine and a year in prison conclusions.



However, the pensioner did not serve this year either: due to dilapidation grandfather was released after four months. Seems like he should live the days allotted to him in complete poverty. But since history unique - modest and such a long-playing counterfeiter to the press, filmmakers became interested in the Mister 880 case.



Shot from the movie "Mr. 880"

And a film of the same name was shot about the adventures and misadventures of the hero, introducing the character of the Skipper, the prototype of which was Emerich, positive and generally positive. The old man received a percentage for participating in project. He did not become a millionaire, but unexpected money allowed him live the rest of the days in satiety and contentment.