breaking the law (did you know your doing it?)

Could you explain how you go from the BEP sending you an informational link that discusses the illegality of *printing* images of paper money in certain sizes, to the FBI raiding your house and taking your PC, to the statement that "we're all doing it"?

Those are some enormous leaps, with little information connecting them.

Dave

 

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1. That email is NOT from the FBI, its from the BEP.
2. Don't those guys have better things to do? Like, you know, catch real dangerous criminals and stuff?

 

It seems almost as if they interpreted your inquiry as if you were printing 'replicas' of the stamps and wanted to sell them on ebay, or that they had reason to believe it was ILLEGAL to sell them, the letter you had saying it was OK, not withstanding.That is the only reason I could see the FBI or any government agency taking your computer. What did the receipt the agents gave you for the computer say? and the warrant they must have had also.

And I certainly hope you have consulted a lawyer about the taking of your computer.

 

I don't think it applies to coins. Currency can be duplicated with photo engraved plates. But nobody in the world is going to mistake a photo for a coin. IMHO


gary

 

I know what this is

I am a retired attorney, for many years now. This is a reply letter from the engraving bureau as it pertains to a inquiry, he had made. It sounds like he was looking at what recourse he had with a bought counterfeit coin he had bought, sold or otherwise. This letter was just saying they have no law enforcement jurisdiction. And stated him to contact the secret service. I don't believe any seizure of property took place.

 

Way to go BEP! You sure captured a criminal mastermind!:dead-horse: Now you guys should start pressing charges against all the banks who use cash in their commercials! Oh my what has the world come to? We have people that photograph currency and banks that use in their commercials! They should all be prosecuted to the full extent of the law!

 

Mmmm looks like you got the true meaning of "We are from the government, and we are here to help"?

Obviously a lack in communication between you and the BEP, resulted in a warrant to seize your hardware by the secret service. (I'm assuming the FBI only executed the warrant?)
You literally have to call some folks and explain to them the situation as they were six years old. Remember we are not born with numismatic knowledge, and what sounds so obviously to most of us, sounds criminal to those not in the hobby.
They're probably are over reacting, cause counterfeiting is at an all time high!

Folks don't start freaking out and deleting your photos! There is a hobby clause in the law for a reason, and this is a website dedicated to the hobby of collection currency, NOT how to pass inkjet copies as real at your local wal-mart.

 

I'm not buying any of this. But it would make an interesting "made for TV movie."

 

Something doesn't smell right.

 

You guys just send me all your coins & currency I will photograph it for free and send you the images.
The FBI has no jurisdiction in rural Yorkshire.
I will even store your coins & currency for free to stop the bad men seizing them.:yes:

 

couldn't help but think of Judas Priest when I saw the thread title. that is all.

 

Judas Priest fan? I was just at one of his last concerts on his last tour before he finally is retiring.

 

Jim already replied with the law as it pertains to most of us, and we're within it's guidelines. However, even though food stamps are no longer made, they remain illegal to sell, trade, ect. as it constitutes a black market type scenario. Living in the welfare capital of the US (California), I've seen this a lot. Some people in my community were pulling in over 3/4 of a million a year dealing in food stamps. Thats the reason they went to a debit card system. The government doesn't take kindly to people dealing illegally in these.
Guy

 

But... it is legal to collect food stamps. We've been through this all before, it's eBay's policy not to allow the the sale of these (not any government agency). See post #19 in the following thread:

http://www.cointalk.com/t162635/

 

Today i did talk with lawyer about what happen and was told that till i am charged with something not to worry about it as this dose happen alot (that is taking photos of us currency and posting them on sites.) In all they will go after about 5 to 15 thousand people a year. and that is what may happen to me and the most i will get is a big fine, but as long as i did not try to print any money with my computer that would be all i get.


As some one asked me how did all this happen. Yes i first e-mailed BEP asking them about the old food coupons i did try to sale on e-bay from there they looked at my site there to see what i was talking about. And seen the other currency i had sold there and as it had my address there for them, they turned it over to the FBI just to check and make sure i was not printing the currency with my photos.

Now i did ask the lawyer about e-bay rules in that they tell you to have a photo of the currency you are trying to sale. He told me you can't put this off on them as they do not tell you it must be in color and the law is you can do it but it must be in black and white.
So what i get out of all this is that it may happen every day of the week and they can't go after every one, but they do go after some and some sites on this. So from now on i will not post any color photo of any thing i want to sale on e-bay or any other site.

So i may have brought this on myself yes, but i was asking the question (if e-bay is saying you can't sale the old food coupons, and the USDA is saying yes you can) that would mean some one is lien about it and with 64 billion dollars going into this why is some one lien about it? could some one be making alot of money off of this as most of the money comes out of SSI and soon it will be broke. And again no one cares. but every one will talk about the gov, waste

this something the lawyer sent to me

Title 18 U.S.C. §504 establishes an exception to this prohibition that permits the printing or publishing of illustrations of obligations or securities of the United States provided that (1) the illustrations are in black and white; (2) the illustrations are of a size less than three-fourths or more than one and one-half, in linear dimension, of each part of any matter illustrated; and (3) the negatives and plates used in making the illustrations are destroyed after their final use.

 

breakin' the law, breakin the law (DUN DUN) breakin' the law, breakin' the law... oops, wrong thread. love the song!

 

Um, Travis, Judas Priest is not a " he". They are a group. You're probably thinking of Rob Halford or Tim Ripper Owens, who were the lead singers, depending on which era the band was in.
Just sayin'.

Also, Alan I agree. The thread title reminded me of priest as well. British Steel was a great album. \m/\m/

 

Uhmmm THE PRIEST is a he!! Judas Priest is a group. Fine.

 

Easy man. I was just kidding w/you.

 

Oh man I was too. I was typing it on my phone so the use of smile faces was abscent. :smile I apologize for that. When I typed the original reply, I had THE PRIEST in mind, so that is why I used the word he. May THE PRIEST live on forever!