More than 1 million bogus Sacagawea dollars flood Ecuador

Hey - nobody here will even use the real ones…

link to story

Million counterfeit Sac dollars flood Ecuador

Secret Service stops Colombian counterfeit ring

By Paul Gilkes COIN WORLD Staff

As many as 1 million bogus Sacagawea dollars were produced and distributed by a sophisticated Colombian counterfeiting operation flooding Ecuador’s inflationridden economy before Colombian national police and the U.S. Secret Service shut down the facility earlier this year.
Fewer than 6,000 coins were recovered during a June raid of the counterfeiting factory in the Colombian capital of Bogotá and a later seizure at a distribution point in the Ecuadorian capital of Quito.
Coin World obtained details from the covert investigation from Anthony M. Chapa, the special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s Office of Investigations, Counterfeit Division. Chapa said Colombia is the number one location for counterfeiting operations targeting U.S. currency.
Dollarization in the South and Central American nations of Ecuador and El Salvador has resulted in the United States shipping millions of Sacagawea dollars to the countries, which are experiencing hyperinflation.
Ecuador has slowly changed its currency over the past 18 months from sucres to currency based on the U.S. dollar. The dollarization plan only allows Ecuador to produce coinage based on fractions of the U.S. dollars (cents to half dollars, denominated centavo through 50 centavos), but not a dollar coin. A private financial depository acting on behalf of the government of Ecuador requested the Federal Reserve to fill the void with Sacagawea dollars.
Some 10 million Sacagawea dollars were shipped to Ecuador earlier this year and during calendar year 2000 in two separate shipments of 5 million coins each. The coins were shipped in $1,000-face-value boxes of 25-coin rolls. El Salvador has also received Sacagawea dollar shipments from the Federal Reserve.
According to a Federal Reserve spokeswoman: “Because the orders you referred to would have been on a central bank to member bank basis, rather than central bank to central bank, we have no record of the movement of the coins once they were delivered to the requesting depository institution. As a matter of policy, we are unable to divulge the name of institutions placing coin orders.”
Chapa said intelligence developed by the Colombian national police uncovered the clandestine counterfeiting operation that was replete with dies, die steel, lathes, annealing machinery and coinage presses. The equipment was seized when a joint force of Colombian national police and Secret Service agents raided the facility on June 18.
“It was a pretty large operation,” according to Chapa, who said the raid was executed after extensive surveillance by both investigative agencies. Also seized were 4,000 counterfeit 2000-D Sacagawea dollars.
Chapa said it is estimated that between 500,000 and 1 million of the counterfeit Sacagawea dollars were produced at the Bogotá site, but it is unknown how long the facility was in operation before authorities shut it down. “They were striking the coins with the intention of taking them into Ecuador for distribution,” Chapa said. The operation was also producing counterfeit Ecuador 50-centavo coins, he said.
Authorities made another seizure of counterfeit coins Aug. 22, 2002, as part of an undercover investigation, Chapa said. In this seizure, 1,418 counterfeit 2000-D Sacagawea dollars were confiscated from a distribution point for the coins in Quito, Ecuador, Chapa said.
Chapa said the Secret Service has retained three of the specimens for its forensics files, but was unable to provide any images of the counterfeits to Coin World for illustrative purposes because the probe is ongoing.
It is believed the counterfeits were struck on coinage presses using impact dies that were produced by ramming softened die steel into the obverse and reverse of a genuine 2000-D Sacagawea dollar. The result would create a reverse image of the host coin on to the die steel.
The diameter, thickness and weight of the counterfeits were within tolerances for the genuine coins (the genuine Sacagawea dollars are 26.5 millimeters in diameter, 8.1 grams in weight), Chapa said.
The counterfeits were not produced on clad composition planchets, but are more likely brass (an alloy of copper and zinc), Chapa said, although an elemental analysis had not yet been done.
The genuine Sacagawea dollars are a three-layer sandwich coin composed of outer layers of 77 percent copper, 12 percent zinc, 7 percent manganese and 4 percent nickel bonded to a core of pure copper.
The counterfeit Sacagawea dollars do not possess the same electromagnetic properties as the genuine coins for use in vending machines, but they could possibly work in older mechanical vending machines, Chapa said.
The counterfeits exhibit a more coppery hue than golden color, Chapa said, while the legends and other periphery details are mushy. The central devices are sharp in detail but become less pronounced moving outward from the center of the coin design on the fakes, Chapa said.
Chapa said the Colombian counterfeiting factory was completely shut down and all of the coin-making machinery confiscated. There were arrests resulting from the Bogotá and Quito seizures, he said. CW

COLOMBIAN COUNTERFEITERS have made bogus 2002-D Sacagawea dollars to circulate in Ecuador. Shown is a genuine coin.

From the Cranky e-Mailbag…

Well kids, it’s time to look in the old e-Mailbag and see what we’ve got…Hey! it’s more about The Gate!

Let’s read, shall we?

After reporting The Gate’s closure on Sunday I received this letter from the Parks&Rec guy:

What day did you encounter this staff member and are you saying the gate was locked over this past weekend ? Because my staff member (__) opened the gate on 12/15/06, Friday at 2:20 p.m., I drove by there at 4:15 p.m. and it was still open. During school hours the gate can be kept locked for security, it’s in the out of school hours it should be opened.

my response:

This was yesterday. Sunday 12/17 approx 10 AM. I got his name if you want it. I don’t want to badger the people that are just doing their job, but I always ask their name and why they won’t unlock the gate.

his response :

Yes, I want his name, the school administration needs to know. I have staff driving by this gate 5 days per week and we made sure it was unlocked late Friday afternoon. So sometime between 4:15 on Friday and 10 a.m. on Sunday the gate was locked. I’m also copying A_ R_, Assistant Principal at Sahuaro on this email, he needs to know who from the TUSD staff keeps locking this gate. Please include A_ on your response email so he can get the employee’s name.

PS. A_, maybe the staff are confused between it being locked during school time opposed to out of school time?

me:

Sure - his name is __, he just happened to come and unlock the driveway gates when I was there. Just to be clear he didn’t lock the pedestrian gate at that time, it was already locked. I asked him why the pedestrian gate was locked and he said they’re told its supposed to be locked. Coach B_ has told me the same thing when I’ve asked him about it, he said its supposed to be locked, although that was quite a while ago that I talked to him.

him:

Thank you, we will pursue this information (that Mr. __ stated) with the High School Administration staff.

then from A_ R_ Asst Principal:

The only thing I can think of is that TUSD School Safety is coming by and locking the gate when they see it unlocked. No one on our custodial or security staff is here on the weekend, so if your staff member unlocked the gate, and you checked it, it has to be TUSD School Safety. I have copied P_ M_, of TUSD School Safety, so he know about the situation regarding keeping the pedestrian gate open on the weekends and after school.

A_ R_
Assistant Principal
Operations

Anyone want to do an over/under and how long this passing of the buck at TUSD can go on? How about another say…6 months?… We’ll see. I’ve already been through this with them. I think the Parks&Rec guy is getting tired of it already…

Man sues coin grading companies for falsely labeling coins “First Strikes”

Those PCGS and NGC graded coins you’re buying and paying more for because they’re “First Strikes”, aren’t. And these guys are suing the companies for unfair and deceptive practices because the US Mint says there’s no way to tell when they were struck. Hope you didn’t pay $2000 extra for that “First Strike” Gold 1 oz Buffalo you bought from the Home Shopping Network…

link to article

Battling the Great White Whale of public access

Call me Ishmael….no wait - call me Captain Ahab. Because it looks like I will be battling this great white whale until the day I die.

The little things that we take for granted; the walk to the park, the sunny day, the smile of a child, are all behind me now. I can only focus on getting this fracking gate left open, and I am endlessly circling with my harpoon waiting for the opportunity to take it down for good.

You may have already guessed that the silly, trivial problem continues unabated.

After hopping the fence again – I am at the school, shooting some baskets when a truck pulls up and unlocks the driveway gates.

“Why isn’t the pedestrian access gate open”, I ask.

“We’re supposed to keep it closed”, comes the now iconic answer.

Wow – so the school continues to claim they are trying to ensure the gate is kept open while at the same time telling the people that work there with keys to make sure and keep it locked.

“This gate is supposed to be left open; I’ve been fighting this for months.” I said, without crying.

“The left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing”, he replies with a sheepish shrug, looks at his hands in silent confirmation, and turns to go.

I need a bigger harpoon…

Texas: Top financial officer says illegals more than pay their way

I guess when you look at the problem in detail (and without the right wing noise machine in the background), you get a slightly different answer. Illegals are BRINGING IN 17 billion to the Texas economy, and paying more in taxes and fees than they use in services. Let the hating begin.

link to AP story

AUSTIN, Texas — A report by the top financial officer of Texas says illegal immigrants are more a boon to the state’s economy than a drain, adding another layer to the immigration-reform debate.

Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn found that illegal immigrants not only contributed more than $17 billion to the state’s economy in the last fiscal year, but that they also pay more than enough in taxes and fees to cover services they receive.

The report — billed as the first comprehensive analysis by any state financial officer — is being hailed by immigrant-rights groups and panned by foes who question its methodology and contend it was politically motivated.

Strayhorn just lost a bitter battle for governor after running as an independent and has been accused of manipulating state data to make Republican Gov. Rick Perry look bad. Nevertheless, her findings could inject new life into the debate over a national guest-worker program, which has stalled despite support from President Bush.

Strayhorn’s report said border crossers added $17.7 billion to the gross state product in fiscal 2005 and produced $1.58 billion in revenues by paying taxes and fees and by playing the lottery. They received $1.16 billion in services, it said.

The Federation for American Immigration Reform, which supports tougher border security and an end to illegal immigration, estimated illegal immigration costs Texas $3.7 billion a year.

the gate: response from the EDA

In any business organization, or workplace, or group structure, there is always someone that doesn’t do their part, someone that lets it go and figures that someone ELSE will pick up after them and fix it. Conversely there is always someone out there, someone who WILL pick up after them and fix it, and make it right.

You’ve probably been the one that gets to pick up the loose ends and make it right – to do or undo what the bad employee did or didn’t do, and fix it so that the system can go on functioning. We always wonder why the bad employee gets away with it and doesn’t get fired or disciplined. Everyone knows the employee sucks, but most systems don’t handle this type of problem efficiently. The bad employee just becomes a mainstay of the organization, and a system of checks and balances to keep that employee’s uselessness from affecting the overall performance is kept in place.

The Parks & Rec department is going to go out of their way, take on the extra work and pick up after the High School; they’re probably used to it.

Serious thanks go to the East District Administrator of the P&R for taking ownership of this problem. I am impressed.

Monday I received this response:

Jim,

I am offering our assistance to help the school. If the High School (HS) Administration wants to keep the gate locked during school hours we understand that is their prerogative, and we respect their security concerns. However, during the proscribed hour (out of school time), I think we can help improve this situation.

I am going to get a key for the lock from the HS and have my staff check the gate late in the day and on Friday afternoon. We have staff who work in that geographical area and can check this fairly regularly. I think between our staff and the schools staff this will make a significant difference to making this area more accessible for public access. Thanks, Jim Conroy

Wow!

Thanks!

John C. Dvorak: Closet Luddite?

One of my favorite podcasts is Cranky Geeks (crankygeeks.com), a weekly podcast that takes a somewhat cranky view of the week’s tech and tech-related stories. John Dvorak is the head crank/geek and his snide, acidic approach to the world is something I find generally appealing, if occasionally over-the-top strictly for the sake of being over-the-top. He has a panel every week and the end result is a well-rounded and entertaining overview of the week’s tech-ish events.

But I’m starting to get a little worried about Dvorak. He seems to be fashioning himself into some new form of Luddite.

(From Wikipedia: The Luddites were a social movement of English textile workers in the early 1800s who protested — often by destroying textile machines — against the changes produced by the Industrial Revolution, which they felt threatened their jobs. The movement, which began in 1811, was named after a mythical leader, Ned Ludd. For a short time the movement was so strong that it clashed in battles with the British Army. Measures taken by the government included a mass trial at York in 1813 that resulted in many death penalties and transportations (deportation to a penal colony).)

This past week in a discussion of the iPod/Nike product that lets your shoes communicate with your iPod, but as it turns out also allows others to stalk you, the talk turned to other devices that have GPS or tracking features. The subject of cell phones and their accompanying tracking capability came up and Dvorak was quick to state that he didn’t ever carry one. One of the guests asked incredulously, “you don’t carry a cell phone?” Dvorak’s reply, “I don’t carry any of this crap, I don’t want to be tracked”

So I guess John is afraid of cell phones, PDA’s, Bluetooth enabled devices etc? Maybe he’s scared of Wi-fi? Perhaps he’s only comfortable with “Big Iron” era tech devices. It’s strange that the consummate Mac-Baiter would be reluctant to embrace an entire segment of tech development.

Perhaps he’s starting a new movement, the Dvorakites. Any technology that uses communication and GPS capability is “evil” and must be dismissed and ridiculed, perhaps even destroyed. This could get out of hand if he is able to recruit enough followers and starts smashing cell phone towers and trashing Verizon stores.

Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.

the gate: revisited

In case you thought I had solved my little problem with TUSD and Sahuaro High School and the pedestrian access gate, you were wrong. I’ve hesitated to keep posting on this as it gets tedious, but I’m still pursuing the problem and have yet to reach a successful conclusion. I’m now communicating with the East District Administrator of the City’s Parks & Rec Department.

Here’s the email I sent today:

Hi

The gate is locked again this weekend. This looks to be a chronic ongoing problem - and unless someone is constantly complaining it will never get fixed.

This is not a new rule - this gate should have been unlocked during the proscribed hours all along. How difficult could this be? As I’ve explained to many others, I can get in even if the fence is locked, but what about younger kids and older folks. This is a public access issue and I don’t want to keep bringing it up. Kids will never start using these courts again unless they’re kept accessible on a regular basis as they are SUPPOSED to be. They’re not locked as often (it used to be every weekend) - but every other weekend or even every 4th weekend is still a problem.

I started pursuing this with the school and the school district over a year ago, in Nov 2005. I spent 8 months getting the runaround before I contacted the newspaper in June. Only then did I get any action. There was no problem for a long stretch, and then it started up again. Is the administration inept? Is there some serious communication problem? Why should a private citizen have to spend their time to keep the school from unfairly restricting public access to this area? I would think that 13 months later this issue would have been solved.

My wish is that I never need to bring this up again, and let all involved go back to more important work. Seems like it should be simple.

Sincerely,

Jim Miller

1st grade rurals

There was a little blonde girl named Dawn. She was the prim and proper variety, and always wore neat little dresses with her hair done just so. She was from town and not a rural, the rurals could be crude and undisciplined and there were true hillbillies in the community. People who lived in shacks and wore rags and couldn’t read or write but spoke in a mountain dialect and smelled…well…..funny. I didn’t know much about them, but there were two in my first grade class that stood out to me. Randall was a smartass kind of kid, continual challenging smirk with a look of danger in his eye. You sensed that he could and would cause trouble to you and to the general community, and he was smart enough to pull it off. He was rural but had an edge and a sharp mind that set him apart from most of that group. Billy Miller was the classic hillbilly kid. He was dumb, truly dressed in rags that were never changed, and was always unclean and smelled like something had gone wrong in his drawers. His nose was always running and he had a kind of lopsided look to his face that made him seem a little deformed, a little “wrong”. He was used to being shunned and teased and put upon, so he walked with a kind of shamble that had his feet dragging and clopping along as he stepped. I was always embarrassed about the fact that we shared the same last name – could he be a relative? Other kids were always asking me that and teasing me after they tired of teasing him. He never let on that he heard or cared about the abuse, just put his head down and shambled away, clop clop. One time he came to class with poorly applied polish on all his fingernails, this was a serious breach of manhood and I asked him what had happened. He gave me a lopsided, grim smile and said that his “sister done it”. I felt sorry for Billy – he had no defense against the world, was vulnerable even at home. I couldn’t show it but I felt real sympathy for him.

the barn

This barn was one of the regular haunts of the kids in the area, especially the older kids. I never thought then of the potential for romance afforded by the loft, but it was obvious to the teens, and much frequented by them. They had an interest in maintaining the mystique of the loft and keeping the youngers from getting too bold and venturing up there regularly and without proper caution. The youngers used the lower level and it became a constant part of the war games, cowboys and Indians scenarios, and hide and seek maps.

I was always finding ancient items in the dirt and embedded in the walls; things like rusting metal brackets and squared nails that were remnants of its past and seemed to be older than the structure itself. Maybe they were.