BUSTED! Sentenced To 10 1/2 Years In Prison For Buying & Selling Counterfeits!
Major969
Posts: 10 ✭
Looks like this guy was going all in on cheap counterfeits from China. See video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQwcT9QjkN4
15
Comments
How cool is this😊😊😊
You have got to be a brazen dude to try to pull something like this off! Wearing an ATF badge! He’s going to be gone a long time😊. What a serious crook!!!
Soap on a rope for him. Good riddance.
Great news.
Marvelous news....He will definitely discover some new aspects of life and love where he is going....
Cheers, RickO
Slow dances for him aith bubba. No counerfiet for him
👏👏
Good news indeed!
Successful BST transactions with: SilverEagles92; Ahrensdad; Smitty; GregHansen; Lablade; Mercury10c; copperflopper; whatsup; KISHU1; scrapman1077, crispy, canadanz, smallchange, robkool, Mission16, ranshdow, ibzman350, Fallguy, Collectorcoins, SurfinxHI, jwitten, Walkerguy21D, dsessom.
I suspect the 'impersonating ATF agent' was bigger problem than fraud coin sales
and most likely why his case was pursued by prosecutors.
The government is incapable of ever managing the economy. That is why communism collapsed. It is now socialism’s turn - Martin Armstrong
Great News!
Is the guy that does these video's on the forum, I have watched many of his videos on YouTube and wondered if he was on here. Anyone know??
Fighting the Fight for 11 Years with the big "C" - Never Ever Give Up!
Member PCGS Open Forum board 2002 - 2006 (closed end of 2006) Current board since 2006 Successful trades with many members, over the past two decades, never a bad deal.
Not sure if he is.
Initial Release
Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney’s Office
District of New Jersey
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, June 25, 2018
Moorestown, New Jersey, Man Admits Impersonating Federal Agent, Importing Counterfeit Coins And Bars Into United States
CAMDEN, N.J. – A Moorestown, New Jersey, man today admitted impersonating a federal agent while selling counterfeit coins and unlawfully importing counterfeit coins and bars into the United States, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Jonathan A. Kirschner, a/k/a “Jonathan Kratcher,” 34, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Robert B. Kugler in Camden federal court to an information charging him with one count of falsely impersonating an agent of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and one count of unlawfully bringing counterfeit coins and bars into the United States.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Kirschner admitted that on May 9, 2017, he sold fake gold bars to a coin collector (Victim 1) for $11,000 in cash. Kirschner wore an ATF badge on a chain around his neck and claimed to be an ATF agent in written correspondence with Victim 1 and when they met in person. Kirschner also admitted that he sold 49 counterfeit Morgan dollar coins to two people (Victims 2 and 3) in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey, on June 4, 2017. Kirschner told Victims 2 and 3, “I have my badge on,” when providing descriptive information so that Victims 2 and 3 could recognize Kirschner. He admitted that he pretended to be an ATF agent to put his victims at ease in purchasing what Kirschner claimed were gold coins and bars when, in reality, the coins and bars were fake. Kirschner admitted unlawfully bringing counterfeit coins and bars into the United States by importing multiple, falsely manifested packages from other countries, including China.
The charge of impersonating a federal officer carries a maximum potential penalty of three years in prison and the charge of unlawful importation carries a maximum potential penalty of 15 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 1, 2018.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited ATF special agents, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge John B. Devito, Newark Field Division; and special agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Cherry Hill Office, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Brian A. Michael, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alyson M. Oswald of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Camden.
Defense counsel: Leonard D. Biddison Esq., Haddonfield, New Jersey
Source:
https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/pr/moorestown-new-jersey-man-admits-impersonating-federal-agent-importing-counterfeit-coins
—————
Follow up and sentencing
Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney’s Office
District of New Jersey
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
Burlington County Man Sentenced To 126 Months In Prison For Impersonating Federal Agent
CAMDEN, N.J. – A Burlington County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 126 months in prison for impersonating a federal agent while selling counterfeit coins and unlawfully importing counterfeit coins and bars into the United States, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Jonathan A. Kirschner, a/k/a “Jonathan Kratcher,” 35, of Moorestown, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Robert B. Kugler to an information charging him with one count of falsely impersonating an agent of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and one count of unlawfully bringing counterfeit coins and bars into the United States. Judge Kugler imposed the sentence today in Camden federal court. Kirschner has been detained since September 2018 after violating his conditions of pretrial release.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Kirschner admitted that on May 9, 2017, he sold fake gold bars to a coin collector (Victim 1) for $11,000 in cash. Kirschner wore an ATF badge on a chain around his neck and claimed to be an ATF agent in written correspondence with Victim 1 and when they met in person. Kirschner also admitted that he sold 49 counterfeit Morgan dollar coins to two people (Victims 2 and 3) in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey, on June 4, 2017.
Kirschner told Victims 2 and 3, “I have my badge on,” when providing descriptive information so that Victims 2 and 3 could recognize Kirschner. He admitted that he pretended to be an ATF agent to put his victims at ease in purchasing what Kirschner claimed were gold coins and bars when, in reality, the coins and bars were fake. Kirschner admitted unlawfully bringing counterfeit coins and bars into the United States by importing multiple, falsely manifested packages from other countries, including China.
Judge Kugler also sentenced Kirschner to three years of supervised release, ordered him to pay restitution of $14,600, and ordered forfeiture of all of the counterfeit items.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited ATF special agents, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Charlie J. Patterson, Newark Field Division; and special agents of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Cherry Hill Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Brian A. Michael, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Bender of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Camden.
Defense counsel: Edward J. Crisonino Esq., Westmont, New Jersey
Source:
https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/pr/burlington-county-man-sentenced-126-months-prison-impersonating-federal-agent
Unquestionably this is the case.
In the mid 1980's I was a member of a gym in San Francisco. One day when I was working out there all the lockers in the men's locker room were broken into. The cops told me that there was little likelihood that they'd be able to find and bust the thieves.
It turns out that one of the people that had their wallet and ID stolen was a US Treasury Dept. employee. Low and behold, within 24 hours of the robbery I was notified that the thieves had been busted, and they were thrown in a (I believe) Federal slammer for a good chunk of time.
U.S. Type Set
Nice!
Now if we could only reach out and extradite the actual overseas counterfeiters.
I wonder how the Chinese government would feel if we flooded their market with Ming dynasty artifacts - all fake.
I realize this is a pipe dream, but I will sleep very well tonight knowing one less scammer is out there.
“In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson
My digital cameo album 1950-64 Cameos - take a look!
GREAT NEWS INDEED!
Kudos to Richard Weaver of Delaware Valley Rare Coins in Broomall, Pa.
Here's additional info. on the take down:
https://www.numismaticnews.net/article/counterfeit-coins-importer-sentenced-to-10-5-years-in-prison
_Weaver, President of Delaware Valley Rare Coins in Broomall, Pa., played a crucial role in the apprehension of Kirschner, also known under the alias of Jonathan Kratcher.
Two of Kirschner’s victims visited Weaver in early 2017 seeking an evaluation of 49 Morgan dollars they purchased from Kirschner. Weaver examined the coins and informed the couple that all of them were counterfeits.
The two victims told Weaver they trusted Kirschner because he claimed he was an ATF agent selling coins as a side business. He displayed an ATF badge on his Facebook site and wore it when he met with them.
They also told Weaver that they had a tentative appointment with Kirschner to purchase more items in a couple of days. Weaver promptly contacted ACEF’s Anti-Counterfeiting Task Force which in turn alerted federal law enforcement agents who immediately identified the ATF badge shown on Kirschner’s Facebook site as counterfeit.
Working with the couple, ATF and Homeland Security Investigations set up a sting operation with an undercover agent posing as the sister of the couple. Kirchner was arrested in the act of selling counterfeit coins to the undercover agent.
After the arrest, law enforcement officials executed a search warrant of Kirchner’s house and Customs and Border Protection intercepted additional packages shipped to him from China._
HEE HEE..........if you drop it, DON'T pick it up!
Good for Him! Time to rot.
Pete
Deterrent best defense of ruining our hobby. Good show!
100% Positive BST transactions
I hope the repeat offenders on ebay would take note.
Collector, occasional seller
Great result!
Impersonating a federal agent is an interesting way to sell counterfeit coins. Wonder how he decided on that approach
I also wonder if they were able to make any other victims whole.