CrimeLess — "Funny Money" (April 1, 2026)

Host: Rory Scoville & Josh Dean
Podcast: iHeartPodcasts & Smartless Media

Overview

In this episode, "Funny Money," comedian Rory Scoville and veteran journalist Josh Dean take a hilarious deep dive into the world of counterfeiting and “funny money.” The hosts break down the different types of counterfeiters, share infamous real-life crime stories, and riff about the absurd logic of would-be money forgers. As always, the episode balances entertaining banter with true crime insights, culminating in an interactive game about pulling off the “perfect” fake bill. It's educational, irreverent, and perfect for trivia-night anyone with a curiosity about crime—or how not to get caught doing it.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Counterfeiting Crash Course & Quiz (03:32–04:38)

• Pop Quiz: Who’s On What Bill?
  • Rory and Josh test their basic knowledge of U.S. currency faces: Lincoln ($5), Franklin ($100), Jefferson ($2), Washington ($1).
  • Rory quips about not using cash anymore, adding, “No one under 25 could answer those questions” (04:08).

The Secret Service Origin Story (05:07–06:15)

• Secret Service founded during Lincoln’s presidency to combat counterfeiting, not for protecting the president at first.
• Lincoln signed the Secret Service into being on April 14, 1865—the day he was assassinated.
  • “The man who created the Secret Service to counter counterfeiting was assassinated, probably in part leading to the job becoming presidential protection.” —Josh (06:04)
• Counterfeiting was rampant after the Civil War; nearly 1/3 of circulating money was fake.
• Improvements mean today it’s “less than 1%, but that’s still $70–200 million in fake bills out there” (06:59).

The Three Types of Counterfeiters (07:42–09:04)

• Josh’s self-invented classification:
  1. Professionals: Meticulous, skilled, organized, likely with code names and legit setups.
  2. Opportunists: Buy, trade, or obtain fake bills (often from movie props).
  3. Delusionists: Lacking skill and sense, but heavy on nerve—Josh’s favorite to discuss.

Legendary “Delusional” Counterfeiters (09:04–13:25)

• James Ryan (Memphis, 2008): Used a $100 bill featuring Lincoln’s face. “My man didn’t even do the most basic homework!”
• Michael Fuller (NC, 2012): Tried to pay for goods with a $1 million bill. “I love thinking you’re going to get change on a $1 million bill.” –Rory (09:50)
• Pamela Downs (TN, 2015): Used b&w paper & glue, poorly copied bills. Claimed Obama legalized printing at home for people on fixed incomes.
  • “Not even double sided, just glued together…Exemplifies a real fucking attitude about life,” –Josh (11:29)
  • Downs had $30–50K in fakes, plus receipt for printer/copier, and had told police about the “Obama law.”

Opportunists & Hollywood Prop Money Mayhem (13:25–19:23)

• Prop money from films has made its way into circulation—even after measures to keep it fake.
• Infamous case: “Rush Hour 2” (2001) needed a billion dollars in fake hundreds (10 million bills). Secret Service intervention required due to realism; some ended up in Vegas/L.A. circulation.
  • “Just the paper to make a billion dollars cost $77,000.” —Josh (16:07)
  • Extras took prop money as souvenirs; the Feds later found hundreds of fake bills being spent (17:00).
• Modern scams: In 2025, two men bought $160K in jewelry with “movie money” in Boston; only “In prop we trust” gave it away (17:42).
• Social media braggadocio led to an easy arrest: “We made history, bro.”

Generational Currency Gaps

• Newsweek: “Gen Z cashiers can’t recognize real cash, think real bills are counterfeit.” (18:52)
• Example: Florida yogurt shop teens labeled pre-1999 bills “fake;” had to be schooled by a 22-year-old manager.

The Future: Digital & Crypto Scams

• “Someday this episode will be a quaint artifact… You used paper?” —Rory (19:40)
• Brief rumination on how crime will simply go digital.

The Professionals: The Tale of Mr. 880 (24:04–35:36)

• The Legend of Emmerich Jutner a.k.a. Mr. 880
  • Elderly Austrian immigrant, lived in NYC, ordinary life, began counterfeiting $1 bills after wife died.
• His faux bills were not well made (blurry serials, mispelled “Wahsington”), but passed anyway. He carefully avoided patterns by spending only $1 at a time and not twice at the same spot.
• The feds tried everything—radio PSAs, 200k flyers, 10,000-store trap—but couldn’t catch him for years.
• Caught by accident in 1948 when firefighters dumped his printing stuff during a fire; neighborhood kids traded the discarded zinc plates for “a Japanese bayonet.”
• Mr. 880’s code: “I only stole a dollar from anybody.” He was honest when caught (32:39).
  • “Of course I admit it. They were only $1 bills. I never gave more than one of them to any one person. So nobody ever lost more than $1.” —Jutner, via The New Yorker (32:46)
• He received a sentence of one year and one day, with parole after four months, and a $1 fine.
  • “I hope he paid for it with a fake.” –Rory (33:44)
• His story inspired the movie “Mr. 880” (1950); he made more from optioning his life rights than from counterfeiting.
• Hosts reflect on the “heartwarming,” idiosyncratic criminal—a rare case where everyone seemed to win.

Game Segment: Make Your Own Counterfeit! (41:21–48:24)

Lane, the show’s producer, leads a ~choose-your-own-adventure~ style quiz, asking Rory and Josh step-by-step how they’d make a $20 counterfeit bill.

• Decision Points:
  1. Bill denomination? ($20)
  2. Whose face? (Correctly: Andrew Jackson)
  3. Sourcing design? (They choose photo, but Wikipedia praised as source by real-life scammers)
  4. Paper choice? (Bleached $1 bill—realistic choice)
  5. Printing method? (Laser printer at home—decent, but motel inkjet was the method of an infamous counterfeiter)
  6. Security features? (They opt for “all the above”: colored ink, glue for strip, matte finish)
  7. Where to spend it? (Dimly lit dive bar—likely, but the weird glue might give them away)
• Flip of a coin decides success. They win!
  • “That’s how you make fake money.” –Rory (47:29)

Memorable exchange:
Josh: “I will say, the more I googled this, the more nervous I got about my search history.” (47:42)
Lane: “Wait till we get to the Dark Web episode.” (47:56)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I love thinking you’re going to get change on a $1 million bill.” —Rory (09:50)
• “It’s kinda a Robin Hood situation. Except you’re just destabilizing the economy.” —Josh (07:32)
• “She told police Obama permitted her to print her own money because she was on a fixed income.” —Josh (12:08)
• “My man didn’t even do the most basic homework. He put the wrong president on the bill.” —Josh (09:19)
• “Of course I admit it. They were only $1 bills. I never gave more than one of them to any one person. So nobody ever lost more than $1.” —Jutner/Mr. 880 via Josh (32:46)
• “If you ask nicely, I’ll tell my counterfeiting story in a future episode...” —Josh (36:05)
• “You made it. You squeaked by. You got that free Miller Lite.” —Lane (48:24)

Essential Timestamps

• 03:33 – Money face pop quiz
• 05:10 – Founding of the Secret Service
• 09:04 – Delusional counterfeiters hall of fame
• 13:38 – Prop money & Hollywood fakes
• 17:42 – Jewel heist with movie money
• 24:04 – The “Professional” Mr. 880 saga
• 32:46 – Mr. 880 confession quote
• 41:17 – Lane’s counterfeit simulation game
• 47:29 – Hosts “successfully” make and pass fake bill (in theory)

Language, Tone, and Style

• Conversational, quick-witted, and tangent-friendly, balancing trivia, researched stories, and sarcastic asides.
• Engaging back-and-forth (“I love that. You never talk like that, but okay.” –Rory)
• Celebrates the weird, mostly-victimless side of crime: “No one gets hurt. There’s arts and crafts involved.”
• Frequent self-aware commentary about their own ignorance and generational shifts.

Summary

The "Funny Money" episode of CrimeLess is a perfect blend of comedy and true crime, exploring the often outrageous history and modern reality of currency counterfeiting. From deluded DIY-ers and hapless movie money opportunists to the inexplicably charming “Mr. 880,” the episode unpacks both catastrophically bad and surprisingly enduring scams. The episode highlights the complexity and creativity behind counterfeiting, what actually works (and doesn’t), and why sometimes, even the worst attempts can find luck. Between laugh-out-loud stories and the interactive ending, listeners leave with both party-worthy trivia and an appreciation for the strange, sometimes charming world of “funny money.”