Charles Nowden, a 48-year old man from Mansfield, Texas, went to the movies and bought some popcorn and a hotdog. Sounds pretty normal, doesn’t it? It is, unless you decide to pay for your treats with Counterfeit money. Nowden passed on a counterfeit $20 bill and now faces up to 80 years in Prison.
Nowden had another $120 in counterfeit bills with him, which authorities say was part of a series of crimes he has committed over the last 20 years.
“Charles Nowden was a career cargo-thief who needed to be brought to justice,” Assistant District Attorney Dawn Ferguson, said in a statement. “The auto theft task force and the district attorney’s office are pleased to see that his lifetime of stealing is over.”
Nowden has been convicted, and the judge now has to decide the scope of his punishment. He faces up to life in prison because he has prior convictions and two pending felony theft cases. He will be eligible for parole in 15 years.
Nowden claims that the bills were given to him at a local gas station when he got change for a $100 bill. His story, I guess, would’ve made more sense if he had less than $100 on him. Authorities said Nowden had another $120 in counterfeit bills with him, which they say was part of a series of crimes he has committed over the last 20 years.
Nowden feels that the pending theft cases from 2007 and an arrest back in July made him a target for authorities seeking to get him on anything.
“This has been going on for four years. They would never take me to trial. They were harassing me. They were harassing my family. People I care about wouldn’t come around any more because they were harassing them.”
