Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Franz Felhaber's Millions





Not long ago, a man named Franz Felhaber showed up at the US Treasury Department with a suitcase in hand. The bag contained 5.2 million in dollar bills so badly damaged that the stacks had turned to stone. Felhaber claimed the cash had been buried in Mexico for years, and he wanted to exchange it for a check.

Exchanging damaged currency is more common than you'd think. Let's say your crazy uncle hid a fortune in the walls of his rickety old house. By the time you discover it, the money's been thoroughly nibbled by rodents. Fortunately, you aren't necessarily out of luck. The Treasury Department will probably swap the damaged money for crisp, new bills.

But this wasn't the first time Franz Felhaber had tried such a trade. Over the past few years, he and two of his relatives have attempted to exchange over 20 million dollars in petrified dollars. And each time, their story changes.

They've claimed the money was . . .

1. Found in a suitcase buried in an alfalfa field.
2. Dug up next to a tree in Chihuahua, Mexico.
3. Discovered inside a coffin at the end of a treasure map.
4. Inherited from a wealthy relative.
5. Stored in a basement for 22 years.

Sounds fishy, right? But the thing is, no one can prove that the money came from illegal sources. None of the people involved appear to be engaged in criminal activities. And finding money isn't a crime. So what do you think the government should do?

Read more here.

16 comments:

MinnieMouseLoverxoxo said...

yeah....it's just alittle fishy

liltomboyblue11;) said...

Oh wow. I have no clue. Maybe just let him go but keep tabs on him. Just watch his activities and see if he's up to anything. They might have to hire some irregulars for the job.... :D

sakura said...

how do you petrify money? (sorry if I spelled that wrong) And it's all from Mexico, right? that's really weird.

Rhapsody said...

Well there is no crime for finding money but they cant just keep finding old money laying around everywhere. Maybe they are just extremly lucky....
Or maybe not.

sekrit7 said...

That is beyond fishy.... I really have no idea.

Really great post!

spiffy said...

Are you ever going to post something on your new book?

spiffy said...

they should ask about the treasure map. And who's coffin anyway?

ScarletDevil said...

That's awesome. Maybe I can get some money in the ground after being hit by that earthquake (which happened half an hour ago...)

Kitty said...

Ah... I personally think those money are a fake.
"The businessman arrived at the Treasury Department carrying a suitcase stuffed with about $5.2 million in petrified, nearly unrecognizable bills."
Maybe his family used to create fake counterfeit bills, then was discovered. But, they still had many of the fake money locked up in their attic, and Franz Felhaber found it.... XD But if that really did happen, the police would have found out... Strange.

Kirsten Miller said...

Everyone: Thanks for asking about the new book, but it's not even completely finished yet! It will be a little while before it's out. And you guys will be the FIRST to know the name!

Kitty said...

OMG!?!? REALLY ANANKA! Thanks sooooooooo much!! [but I really can't wait to read the third book of the Kiki Strike Series! OoO]

Persephone said...

as fishy as tuna...O.o

nellie said...

Gee..if they let him get away with it maybe he'll give me some of the money.;)

Ugh...it's 5:54 AM and I'm wide awake because of jet lag. Hazel and I are back in the States. Let's hope another Kiki Strike summer camp pops up soon.XD

E.J.R. said...

strange . . . very strange but not at all at the same time.

And how would you petrify it??

I also think they should TAG anyone comeing in with the petrified money . . . just to be sure. . . you know.

I agree with kitty!

oh and ananka a new book from you . . . I will love to read that.

p.s. they should have a camp in ohio tex is to far . . . and raise the age limit . . . please?

Hazel said...

KIKI STRIKE 3! KIKI STRIKE 3! KIKI STRIKE 3! EVERYBODY'S HAPPY NOW! KIKI STRIKE 3!
And do you know when the second will come out in German? Cause I'm in an internet Kiki Strike Inside The Shadow City (best book ever!) group in German and none of them has got the second and when you search Amazon.de they only have it in English.

Max said...

the gov. should investigate further or something... i mean, it's not as though they can't monitor his activities. see if he's associating with anyone with a criminal record...