'Buried Treasure' Riddle Stumps Feds

Man has been trying to exchange millions in moldy notes for years
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 29, 2008 8:45 AM CDT
'Buried Treasure' Riddle Stumps Feds
Authorities say Felhaber and his family have been attempting to exchange millions of decomposed US bills for clean ones over the last few years.   ((c) AComment)

It was found in a suitcase in an alfalfa field. It was in a tree. A treasure map led to a coffin full of money. Customs broker Franz Felhaber has been giving different stories about how he came to have up to $20 million in decomposing dollars for years, the AP reports. About $6.4 million has now been seized and Felhaber will need to get his story straight if he wants it back.

Finding money is not a crime, but Felhaber may face charges for illegally importing the cash, which he said he was trying to exchange into clean bills for a Mexican relative. Authorities say the money will become government property if Felhaber doesn't clear up the inconsistencies in his story. "They take you to your word like you're supposed to remember every single thing every single time," complained Felhaber.
(More Treasury Department stories.)

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