The story of the elusive "Mr. 880" — the most unusual counterfeiter in the USA

The criminal craft of a counterfeiter implies the presence of serious artistic abilities and a firm hand. But there are exceptions to any rule. This statement is best illustrated by the story of an untalented, but noble scavenger from New York, which has become on the slippery path of crime.

The Great Depression, which began in 1929, forced many residents of the United States to quit their usual occupations that no longer bring income and look for new, effective types of earnings. Emerich Juttner is an elderly New York garbage collector, who for some reason chose for himself the difficult but profitable path of a counterfeiter.

After studying the relevant literature in the library, Juttner decided to equip a mini-workshop for the production of dollars in his kitchen. The last savings were spent on simple engraving and printing equipment and soon the work began to boil.

Emerich Juttner decided not to be greedy and began to produce exclusively one-dollar bills. There was a rational grain in his actions — sellers almost do not pay attention to small bills, and if a fake is found, not everyone will want to contact the police because of a trifle.

But sooner or later the authorities had to find out about the appearance of fakes on the market. When in The Secret Service of the Ministry of Finance (SSMF) brought the first counterfeit bills, the agents could not believe their eyes. Firstly, no self-respecting criminal will make $ 1 bills, since the cost of making them is high, and the profit is very small.

Secondly, the fakes were of such disgusting quality that one would think that their author was simply mocking everyone. The money was printed on the cheapest paper, the impression was of shoddy quality, the colors were faded, and a gross mistake was made in the name of the president — "Wahsington". The president himself, in the opinion of everyone who saw this money, was unlike himself and resembled death.

But because the criminal was a handicraftsman, his guilt did not become less.The case was opened and the SSMF investigators actively began to search for him. For a month, 40 one-dollar bills "surfaced", and for a year their number was 585. The attacker, who received the code name "Mr. 880" by the number of his case, continued to make very bad money, but at the same time remained elusive for the most experienced agents.

It is known that most counterfeiters get caught because of their greed. They lose their vigilance and start selling fakes in large batches near the workshop, not caring too much about conspiracy. "Mr. 880" wasn't like that at all. He never spent money in the same place and at the same time sold no more than $ 15 a week.

The map of New York in the investigator's office, on which the agents marked the places where the "fake" dollars were found, soon turned red from the flags that evenly covered the entire territory of the huge metropolis. In desperation, the Secret Service printed out more than 200 thousand pamphlets for the owners of retail outlets and personally instructed the sellers of 10 thousand stores and shopping pavilions. But all efforts were in vain — the inept counterfeiter turned out to be an excellent underground worker and did not give a single clue.

10 years have passed, but the investigation has not budged. The search for the criminal turned into a matter of honor for the police and the SSMF, but they lost the duel. The investigation into the case of "Mr. 880" has become one of the most expensive in the history of the Secret Service and the longest.

The counterfeiter was found quite by accident in 1948. During a fire in one of the residential buildings, among the things thrown out into the street that were affected by the fire, they accidentally found a cliche for printing bills of very poor quality. The owner of the apartment was immediately arrested and, as you may have guessed, it turned out to be Emeric Juttner, at that time a very old man.

The identity of the criminal struck the investigators already at the first interrogations. Juttner was not only cautious, but also incredibly noble. He spent his crude forgeries on the purchase of groceries and basic necessities and did not deceive a single seller by more than one dollar.

Huge New York made it possible for Emerich to choose new stores for shopping, and the old man was not lazy to go on a long trip with transfers, so as not to change his rule. All these circumstances, as well as the advanced age of the criminal, were taken into account at the trial. Juttner received an unprecedented sentence in terms of leniency for such cases — a fine of $ 1 and one year and one day in prison.

Four months later, the old counterfeiter was released on parole and, as if nothing had happened, continued to live the life of an ordinary American pensioner. Shortly before his death, Juttner became rich — his story interested the filmmakers who made the film "Mister 880". The fee received by the old man for participating in the project was many times higher than the income received for many years of work on counterfeiting money.