milt freeman on trial: making fake gold coins

[EO 11110]

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/9783...ng_fake_coins/

A HAMPSHIRE man made fake coins which he sent overseas, a court heard.

Post office staff became suspicious of Milton Freeman and tipped off police when one of his packages was returned from Greece and was found to contain what appeared to be 300 British gold sovereigns.

Officers raided Freeman’s Romsey home where they found more fake coins.

They also seized two halves of a mould bearing the impression of gold sovereigns from the boot of his car, the court was told.

When questioned, Freeman said he had been trying to send the original package back to his native Greece because it was not something he wanted.

He told detectives he had manufactured coins to use as novelty business cards. He also said he had been making something that resembled coins for Greek people because of their tradition of putting them in Christmas cakes or puddings, and for women to wear them on their national costume.

But when his computer was seized and analysed, it revealed he had been doing research into manufacturing coins that were as close as possible to genuine in appearance and weight, prosecutor Tim Moores told Southampton Crown Court.

He added: “He managed to produce a number of prototypes and was in possession of items clearly counterfeit and good enough they could get past someone who was not an expert. We are alleging that he had or made items with the intention that they should be passed or traded as genuine.”

Mr Moores said Freeman had emailed suppliers of replica coins in China and the United States and he had been warned by one contact that any replica had to have the words “copy” or “replica” stamped on it otherwise he would be committing a criminal offence under US law. Freeman had replied he did not think that applied in the UK or Greece.

Many of the coins recovered by police were made from base metals covered in gold plating.

Among the fake coins found at his home were 15 copies of a 1963 gold sovereign, 29 other gold sovereigns, two gold plated £2 coins and six South African Krugerands, two of which were gold plated.

Freeman, 61, of Pine Road, Romsey, denies two counts of attempting to deliver counterfeit protected coins and one each of having custody or control of counterfeit materials and a protected coin and making a counterfeit protected coin.

[oldgaranddad]

I can assure you that he is not the only one out there doing this. Things are going to get really interesting once the fiat money system crumbles and governments get into the fake gold coin racket. I am willing to bet even money that North Korea, Iran and others are already well down that road too.

[CiscoKid]

I can assure you that he is not the only one out there doing this. Things are going to get really interesting once the fiat money system crumbles and governments get into the fake gold coin racket. I am willing to bet even money that North Korea, Iran and others are already well down that road too.

Sheeeet, Holmes. I can assure you he is not the first. The Treasury department has been making fake money since 1973 or thereabouts. They're just pissed that this guy is horning in on their racket.

[phideaux]

Milton Friedman a counterfeiter?

He died in 2006.