Nature
Although counterfeiting does not often make for very sensational headlines, it was still seen as a serious federal offense. The United States Constitution states that Congress has the power to coin and regulate money, as well as dole out the punishments of creating fakes of that money. Because of this, while those that may have been swindled by bogus bucks could be seen as victims, it was really the U.S. government that was the main victim of this type of crime.
In the Penal Code of 1909—a comprehensive list of statutes for federal crimes—counterfeiting was noted down under “Offenses Against the Currency, Coinage, etc.” Bank notes, bonds, stamps, coins, and bars are among the group of illegal crafts listed here. It was also not permitted for people to distribute forgeries, remove tools for printing money, be in possession of counterfeits or the means to make them, and imitate bank notes with advertising printed on them. All of these could land offenders with prison time and hefty fines.
Because counterfeiting was a federal offense, policing the crime was generally not left up to the states. Instead, the United States Secret Service acted as the national detective force that would be in charge of investigating potential criminals. This was apparent in the Washington Times articles published in the beginning of the 20th century. The Secret Service is the law enforcement that is mentioned the most across this collection of stories, with their presence being discussed in 21 out of the 40 cases.