Creator of Ron Paul Liberty Dollar, Bernard von NotHaus, convicted in Federal Court

Citizen Times - Liberty Dollar Creator Convicted

Bernard von NotHaus was convicted Friday at the conclusion of an eight-day trial in U.S. District Court in Statesville. The jury deliberated less than two hours, according to the Department of Justice.

Charges remain pending against William Kevin Innes, an Asheville man who authorities said recruited merchants in Western North Carolina willing to accept the “barter” currency, according to court records. Innes was indicted along with von NotHaus in 2009.

It's outrageous that this man gets sentenced to prison while Ben Bernake and all the Federal Reserve cronies are still walking the streets free.

Gold and silver are, in my eyes, more legitimate than our current inflated Federal Reserve paper notes. I remember the raid back in 2007 where the FBI came in and stole all their coins and computers one morning. That was back when they had just begun to mint Ron Paul Liberty Dollars. You could by a thousand-dollar Gold Ron Paul coin. The day after the raid, the price of Ron Paul dollars sky-rocketed on eBay. But you ran the risk of your dollars being confiscated.

“Attempts to undermine the legitimate currency of this country are simply a unique form of domestic terrorism,” U.S. Attorney Anne Tompkins said. “While these forms of anti-government activities do not involve violence, they are every bit as insidious and represent a clear and present danger to the economic stability of this country.”

The case was investigated by the FBI, Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Secret Service with help from the U.S. Mint.

Well, this is sad news. Go to http://www.libertydollar.org/ and there is big text that says "Site Removed Due to Court Order".

Here is a 2007 article on the raid as well as the reaction...
http://www.nysun.com/national/us-raids-issuer-of-ron-paul-coins/66542/
http://www.nysun.com/national/libertarians-react-to-the-raid/66631/

Mr. von NotHaus said he suspects the raid is in response to "the competition" his currency poses to the U.S. Mint. His Liberty Dollars, whose value is the price of the coin's metal, have proven a better investment in recent years than government issued notes, whose value has plummeted in relation to the price of gold.

"This is an example of Bernanke trying to protect his own nest because he knows it's got holes in it," Mr. von NotHaus said, referring to Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve. "He can't have something like the Liberty Dollar running around competing with his currency. It points out the fallacy of the fiat monetary system. They had to do something. Their currency is losing and we're going to the moon."

In addition to silver and copper coins, agents seized more than 3 pounds of gold and several ounces of platinum, Mr. von NotHaus said. All that coinage, as well as bearer certificates held at the Evansville office, belonged to purchasers of the currency. In an e-mail message, Mr. von NotHaus urged the owners of the seized currency and seized bearer certificates to file suit against the government. Mr. von NotHaus has already sued government officials for issuing the "consumer alert" against his currency last year.

The impact, if any, on Mr. Paul's presidential campaign is difficult to predict. On the one hand, he could be criticized for permitting, if he did permit, his face to be used on a coin whose circulation the U.S. Mint contends is illegal. On the other, the raid could throw into even sharper relief the argument he has been making for sound currency. Videos of Mr. Paul cross-examining Mr. Bernanke in recent congressional hearings have been widely viewed on the Internet.

I remember buying some chocolate ron paul foil coins back in the day during my Ron Paul R[evol]ution adventures back in 07 and 08. :)