[aldo_14]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4190298.stm

[achtung]

Thats bad.

Greedy U.S. mint, so worried about money:rolleyes:

[Sigma957]

Well thats just typical.

[karajorma]

If what the Mint says about the coins never entering circulation is true then the coins were stolen and the US have every right to take their property back even after more than 60 years.

However now that the US has established a precident they have to stick to it and split the proceeds with the woman.

[aldo_14]

Still, $75m, eh?

[WMCoolmon]

I wonder what the founding fathers would have to say about greed overtaking "innocent until proven guilty"

[Flipside]

I know the US is in debt, but I didn't think it had got to the stage of daylight-robbing the countries citizens on paper-thin excuses.

That's the sort of thing Mugabe does with farms.

Edit : Time for a lawyer, I'm pretty sure 'But he must have' will not stand up long as evidence of theft.

[aldo_14]

OFFICIAL US DEPARMENT OF THE TREASURY STATEMENT

The United States Mint has been authorised to make the following statement with regards to newspaper reports regarding the alleged seizing of 10 Double Eagle Gold coins from a private citizen.  The following statement will clarify the official position of the United States treasury.

Coins?  What coins?

-----------

Do your duty!  The US Mint is recruiting now!  We urgently require skilled vending machine technicians, especially with experience in the use of chute unblockade.  Contact ohcrapohcraptheyllkickmyarseiftheyfoundoutwhatididtothosecoins@usmint.org

[karajorma]

Originally posted by aldo_14
Still, $75m, eh?

Let me put it this way. If a daughter of a Brinks Mat robber started selling gold bars on eBay do you think the police should have the right to confiscate it?

So the only fuzziness here legally is that rather than robbing the coins from the mint her dad took coins that the government wanted to destroy.

It's still theft though and legally the government have every right to take back stolen property.

[Fineus]

Is it right to punish the daughter who didn't even know, though?

[Flipside]

Must admit, in that particular case, Ignorance of the crime you are commiting is not considered a defence, though that is actually changing in the UK.

However, this had better be going through proper legal proceedings to acquire them back. Even Gold Bars on Ebay sold by the daughter of a Brinks Mat robber, still requires proof that those gold bars are actually loot from those robberies. 'It's bloody obvious' is no more valid than 'I didn't know it was wrong'.

[Fineus]

I've not read it all - but did she actually know they were illegally aquired?

I mean.. if she just happened to find them at the bottom of a drawer, a forgotten gift, and wondered what their value was or if they were significant - then I'd say that she was certainly ignorant of the law.

[karajorma]

Originally posted by Kalfireth
Is it right to punish the daughter who didn't even know, though?

I'm not saying she should go to jail but she definately shouldn't profit from the results of her father's theft should she?

Seize the gold and tell her to tell her story to one of those womens magazines who's name is just some inane phrase like "Put your feet up" or something.

The woman in the story isn't being prosecuted as far as I could see. The US mint simply said those are ours and kept them when she sent them in.

[Goober5000]

Originally posted by karajorma
If what the Mint says about the coins never entering circulation is true then the coins were stolen and the US have every right to take their property back even after more than 60 years.

What about the statute of limitations?

[karajorma]

Doesn't that only apply to prosecutions?

[NGTM-1R]

Correct.