Alberta man accused of carrying fake money has case thrown out of court

Judges bench at the Edmonton Law Courts building, in Edmonton on June 28, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

RED DEER — An Alberta judge has thrown out the case of a man accused of carrying counterfeit money because evidence showed the bills were very clearly Chinese knockoffs.

The man was charged with possessing counterfeit money, which carries with it a maximum sentence of 14 years behind bars.

Court of Justice Judge Gordon Yake said the Crown failed to prove the man was actually carrying illegal fake currency.

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“The accused is not guilty. The charge against him is dismissed,” he said in a recent written decision.

Court heard the man had his car searched by police Const. Michael Walker at a parking lot in Blackfalds, roughly 140 kilometres south of Edmonton. During the search, Walker found six items tucked in the car’s front console that looked and felt like $50 bills.

Asked about the items, the man said: “It’s just Monopoly money.”

At issue was whether the Crown could prove the bills were illegal counterfeit money. The six bills were submitted to the court for evidence.

Yake said while each bill had the same colour as a genuine $50 sheet, they were marked prominently with blue Chinese characters that “clearly distinguish” them from genuine currency.

“Even a person paying only slight attention should notice those markings,” he said.

“There is no reasonable possibility that a person of ordinary prudence and vigilance would consider any of them to be genuine Canadian currency and accept any of them in a commercial transaction.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 24, 2025.

Aaron Sousa, The Canadian Press