Emerich Juettner

Emerich Juettner (January 1876 – January 4, 1955), also known as Edward Mueller or Mister 880, was an Austrian-American immigrant known for counterfeiting United States $1 bills and eluding the United States Secret Service for a decade, from 1938 to 1948. When caught, he openly admitted his actions, adding that he had never given more than one bill to anyone, so no person had lost more than one dollar. He found work as a picture frame gilder before marrying Florence LeMein in 1902 at the age of 26. His wife gave birth to a son, Walter, in 1903 and a daughter, Florence, in 1918. To support his family, he began working as a maintenance man and building superintendent in New York's Upper East Side. His job allowed him and his family to live rent free in the basement of the building where he worked. His wife died in the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, shortly after giving birth to their daughter Florence. He then became a junk collector.

Counterfeiting scheme After his wife's death, Juettner had limited financial means. In 1938, Juettner began using ten to twelve homemade counterfeited bills a week in select stores in the neighborhoods of Manhattan. Over the following ten years, Juettner continued to use his counterfeited bills sparingly, never repeating storefronts or tenders. The bills were always poorly made on cheap paper and included details such as Washington being misspelled "Wahsington."

After Juettner used his first bill at a local cigar shop, the Secret Service opened Case File 880 in what began a decade-long search.

Legacy Former Secret Service Director James Maloney blamed Juettner for the rise in counterfeiting incidents in the United States. Mister 880 The life of Emerich Juettner inspired the 1950 comedy-drama film Mister 880, directed by Edmund Goulding and starring Burt Lancaster as the Secret Service agent in charge of the investigation and Edmund Gwenn (in a supporting role) as the character based on Juettner. The film was based on St. Clair McKelway's article on Juettner. Juettner attended the premier of the film. Gwenn won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in Mister 880. Ultimately, Juettner made more money from the release of Mister 880 than he had made by counterfeiting.

The 20th Century Fox Hour - "The Moneymaker" An episode of The 20th Century Fox Hour, titled "The Moneymaker", was based on the movie and first aired on October 31, 1956. Here, the counterfeiter was an elderly lady, played by Spring Byington.