From: mpcgram-owner@mail.papermoneyworld.net on behalf of MPCgram [mpcgram@yahoo.com] Sent: Sunday, March 18, 2007 9:38 PM To: mpcgram@papermoneyworld.net Subject: MPCGram 1538 MPC Gram News Letter =========================================== MPC GRAM =========================================== Series 8, no 1538 Sunday, March 18, 2007 More MPC Fraud by Jim Downey   A few Grams ago we examined the case of Major Pate who was able to parlay poor accountability of MPC slated for destruction into a lucrative venture. One of the shortcomings of the MPC system that allowed Major Pate to take advantage of the system was the practice of not accounting separately for MPC and regular US currency. One would think that the military would have tightened its accounting practices after cases like Major Pates came to their attention. The following case of First Lieutenant John A. Mella demonstrates that the Pentagon did not learn its lesson.     1LT Mella was a Class A Finance Agent in Vietnam. Part of his duties included supervising the finance cage where new arrivals to Vietnam traded their US currency for MPC. He took US currency from the finance office and traded it for MPC downrange on the blackmarket. Although US currency and MPC officially traded one-for-one, the blackmarket paid a premium for US currency over MPC. He then returned the equivalent amount of MPC to the vault and retained the difference. He realized about 35% on each transaction.     The interesting part about 1LT Mella's case is what the Court of Military Appeals said about MPC. Mella was charged with larceny. Larceny requires that the defendant intend to permanently deprive the true owner of property. The parties in Mella's case stipulated that his intention at all times was to replace the US green dollars with the equivalent in MPC. The Military Board of Review that heard the initial case determined that he could not be found guilty of larceny because he did not have the intent to permanently deprive the government of the money that he took from the vault since it was replaced with MPC and the accounts of the vault still balanced. Instead, he was only convicted of misappropriation of government property. The military prosecutor appealed the conviction on the grounds that larceny was the appropriate charge.     The Court of Military Appeals agreed with the prosecutor. The Board of Review took the position that US currency and MPC were monetary equivalents and replacing US currency with MPC was no different than changing two fives for a ten. The Court of Military Appeals determined that US currency and MPC were not monetary equivalents. They supported this position with two arguments. First, they said that because US currency was not legal tender for US military personnel in MPC areas and MPC was legal tender, they were not monetary equivalents. Second, they claimed that the fact US currency and MPC had different values within the host nation's economy also indicated they were not monetary equivalents. The first argument may be tenable but the second one is absurd considering that US currency and MPC were monetary equivalents on US installations -- the jurisdiction where the case was heard.     1LT Mella was initially sentenced to two years confinement, a $3,000.00 fine and dismissal from service. This sentence was appealed and overturned. There is no record of the sentence he received as a result of the rehearing. ***************************************************** Championship Question Corner Question 189. Difficuly 3. Where (in what country) were the notes for the Chinese Hau Hsing Commercial Bank printed? Yesterdays Question 188. Difficuly 3. What does UNRRA stand for relative to numismatics and why is it of interest to us. Answers and comments: Bill Myers correctly wrote that UNRRA stands for UNITED NATIONS RELIEF AND REHABILITATION ADMINISTRATION and created Scheinfeld Lithuanian camp money. ========================================== Editorial ========================================== Fest 8 (yes, 8, I can hardly believe it) is just around the corner. After struggling for weeks with preparations, I am now actually ahead in many ways. I am still behind on a reconciled roster and some of that kind of administration, but several other things that I normally only get done during the Fest are now finished and I have at least a few more days to work. I even thought of some ideas for Fest IX and have started a file for it. I have never done that before. Of course a critical part will be having and finding the file a year from now. Starting with Fest VI, the Fest starts with a bourse on Friday from 10 am to 5:30 pm. This event is open to everyone, not just Festers who must register for the entire weekend. The bourse is listed in Numismatic News and Bank Note Reporter (I think). It is also advertised on the large hotel maqrue sign for the week before the bourse and every year a few collectors come because of this sign. We also get calls on Friday (and even Saturday) from area collectors who cannot believe that there is a show on Friday only. I look forward to seeing many of you in a few days. If you had not planned on coming, but can make it happen, we can still fit you in. ========================================= Mail Call (send mail to MPCGram@yahoo.com) =========================================== Dear Editor, I am already married and can't afford a divorce even if I wanted one (which I don't). Guess I better stay away. Bill Dear Bill, I understand your point. Hm, I wonder if in the case of married Festers, the water might work like certain medications frequently advertised on television. Editor Dear Editor, I will take 6 lottery tickets. Do you take POGs in payment? Bill Myers Dear Bill, Well, you caught me off guard on that one (not all that hard). I have consulted all of the relavant regulations. Barring a ruling by Jim Downy, it is my interpretation that forward deployed Festers may indeed pay for Fest lottery tickets with current (only) POGS. Speaking of POGS, we have not had many (any?) reports recently of pog action. Editor =========================================== Calendar =========================================== 2007 MPCFest: March 23-25 2007 details TBA. 14 and 15 April 2007 The annual "Maastricht" show, officially named "PaperMoney Fair-Maastricht" will take place, with dealer set up on the 13th, at the "Polfermolen" in Valkenburg, Netherlands. For details, view the bourse web site http:// www.papermoney-maastricht.org/  or contact the show organizer, Joe Eijsermans, at apnc.eijsermans@wxs.nl or eijsermans-events@planet.nl. ANA Summer semnar Session I: June 24-29, 2007* Session II: June 30-July 6, 2007 Memphis 6-8 July ANA Convention, Milwaukee. ========================================== for dealer Hot Contact list, ANA MPC museum holdings and other static information please click this link: http://www.papermoneyworld.net/Gramattichments.htm ========================================= POST / BASE EXCHANGE(PX/BX/NEX) Dump your dupes! Your classified advertisement for items for sale, purchase or trade will be run here for free. Send your ads to the gram. This service is for everyone, most humble dealer or most advanced collector. The point is to make the gram more interesting. In all cases confirm your order via email first. WANTED SECTION: Collectors may submit lists of items wanted for their collections for listing here. WANTED - JAPANESE INVASION MONEY (JIM). Collector/researcher of these notes by zone, type, and block letter, or number will buy or trade.  Checklist available, Anythinfg unusual is of particular interest. Mike Payton, 6609 Craig, Merriam, KS. USA 66202, papermoneymike@yahoo.com Dealers and collectors who have these items, are then encouraged to list them for sale in the above section as a reply. Wanted listings will run for a period of 1 month. ======================================= MPCGram Staff: Publisher, editor: Fred Schwan fred@papermoneyworld.net; Subscription Manager:Doug Bell- doug@papermoneyworld.net Tuesday Columnist : JoeBoling- JoeBoling@aol.com Friday Columnist: Warner Talso: wtalso@aol.com Fest Auctioneer: Larry Columnist at large: Jim Downey "Ski"Smulczenski - skitex@cox.net, Critic:Harold Kroll - HARBONS@aol.com Scholarship Coordinator: Marcus Turner- marucs@papermoneyworld.net; Webmaster and Technical Advisors:Doug Bell "Wiz" - doug@papermoneyworld.net Russ Walsh -russ.walsh@gte.net Fact Checker: Warner Talso -Calendar Coordinator: John and Nancy Wilson -The Boss: Judy Schwan MPC Gram is published by BNR Press and papermoneyworld.com as a free service to the community of military money collectors. Your suggestions, criticisms, complaints, editorial contributions, letters, and even praise are very welcome. The entire contents including linked illustrations are copyright protected by the publishers. In the case of contributors, the copyright is protected on behalf of the creators. Please send all correspondence regarding the gram to MPCgram@yahoo.com. Thank you very much for your participation. ____________________________________________________________________________________ No need to miss a message. Get email on-the-go with Yahoo! Mail for Mobile. Get started. http://mobile.yahoo.com/mail mpc gram mail list To subscribe to a list, send a mail message to "imailsrv@papermoneyworld.net" at this address with the following in the body of the message: subscribe mpcgram your_full_name To unsubscribe from a list, send a mail message to "imailsrv@papermoneyworld.net" at this address with the following in the body of the message: unsubscribe mpcgram if you have any problems please report then to doug@papermoneyworld.net