The Last Counterfeiter: The Story of Fake Money, Real Art, and Forging the Impossible $100 Bill
The true story of the mastermind counterfeiter who forged millions, replicated the impossible 1996 note, dodged the Secret Service, and healed his broken family.

When Art Williams Jr.’s father abandoned the family and his bipolar mother lost her mind, a life of crime in Chicago quickly claimed him. Parking meter theft led to robbing drug dealers before Art fatefully met a man nicknamed DaVinci who taught him the skill of counterfeiting money. After just a few years, Art would print millions of counterfeit bills, selling them to criminal organizations, all while trying to raise a family on the side.

Art’s greatest challenge arose when the Treasury Department released the 1996 note, the most intricate and secure bill ever created. Between painstakingly perfecting a new hundred-dollar bill to bypass the naked eye and security measures alike, Art was slipping by the Secret Service hunting him, and searching for his long-lost father, a path that ultimately led to his undoing.

Prison may have been the end, especially as Art Jr. found himself behind bars sharing a cell with his own son, but with the same creativity and ambition that locked him up, Art reinvented himself as a professional artist. Art’s unbelievable journey extends beyond a life of crime to one of second chances, healing family wounds, and ultimately, triumph. 

Fans of Catch Me If You Can and The Art Thief won't want to miss this unforgettable caper story. 

1143301982
The Last Counterfeiter: The Story of Fake Money, Real Art, and Forging the Impossible $100 Bill
The true story of the mastermind counterfeiter who forged millions, replicated the impossible 1996 note, dodged the Secret Service, and healed his broken family.

When Art Williams Jr.’s father abandoned the family and his bipolar mother lost her mind, a life of crime in Chicago quickly claimed him. Parking meter theft led to robbing drug dealers before Art fatefully met a man nicknamed DaVinci who taught him the skill of counterfeiting money. After just a few years, Art would print millions of counterfeit bills, selling them to criminal organizations, all while trying to raise a family on the side.

Art’s greatest challenge arose when the Treasury Department released the 1996 note, the most intricate and secure bill ever created. Between painstakingly perfecting a new hundred-dollar bill to bypass the naked eye and security measures alike, Art was slipping by the Secret Service hunting him, and searching for his long-lost father, a path that ultimately led to his undoing.

Prison may have been the end, especially as Art Jr. found himself behind bars sharing a cell with his own son, but with the same creativity and ambition that locked him up, Art reinvented himself as a professional artist. Art’s unbelievable journey extends beyond a life of crime to one of second chances, healing family wounds, and ultimately, triumph. 

Fans of Catch Me If You Can and The Art Thief won't want to miss this unforgettable caper story. 

18.99 In Stock
The Last Counterfeiter: The Story of Fake Money, Real Art, and Forging the Impossible $100 Bill

The Last Counterfeiter: The Story of Fake Money, Real Art, and Forging the Impossible $100 Bill

by Jason Kersten
The Last Counterfeiter: The Story of Fake Money, Real Art, and Forging the Impossible $100 Bill

The Last Counterfeiter: The Story of Fake Money, Real Art, and Forging the Impossible $100 Bill

by Jason Kersten

Paperback

$18.99 
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Overview

The true story of the mastermind counterfeiter who forged millions, replicated the impossible 1996 note, dodged the Secret Service, and healed his broken family.

When Art Williams Jr.’s father abandoned the family and his bipolar mother lost her mind, a life of crime in Chicago quickly claimed him. Parking meter theft led to robbing drug dealers before Art fatefully met a man nicknamed DaVinci who taught him the skill of counterfeiting money. After just a few years, Art would print millions of counterfeit bills, selling them to criminal organizations, all while trying to raise a family on the side.

Art’s greatest challenge arose when the Treasury Department released the 1996 note, the most intricate and secure bill ever created. Between painstakingly perfecting a new hundred-dollar bill to bypass the naked eye and security measures alike, Art was slipping by the Secret Service hunting him, and searching for his long-lost father, a path that ultimately led to his undoing.

Prison may have been the end, especially as Art Jr. found himself behind bars sharing a cell with his own son, but with the same creativity and ambition that locked him up, Art reinvented himself as a professional artist. Art’s unbelievable journey extends beyond a life of crime to one of second chances, healing family wounds, and ultimately, triumph. 

Fans of Catch Me If You Can and The Art Thief won't want to miss this unforgettable caper story. 


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781635768411
Publisher: Diversion Books
Publication date: 03/26/2024
Pages: 336
Sales rank: 993,053
Product dimensions: 5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

About The Author
Jason Kersten is the author of the bestselling book The Art of Making Money as well as New York Times Notable Book, Journal of the Dead: A Story of Friendship and Murder in the New Mexico Desert. Between books, he often writes for national magazines such as Rolling Stone, Men’s Journal, and Reader’s Digest. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
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