Can You Be Prosecuted Under US Law for Counterfeiting Foreign Currency?
<p>Let's imagine that I'm a person living in the US who wants to counterfeit foreign currency and then convert it into US dollars. Let's say it's the currency of a country that the US doesn't really have formal relations with (no extradition treaty, etc.); let's say this country is South Sudan. </p>

<p>Can I be sent to jail either in the US or in South Sudan? If you would be sent to jail in South Sudan, is there another country's currency that would make this viable? Would I still be thrown in jail if I didn't convert the money into dollars?</p>

<p>It's illegal under US law.  <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/478" rel="nofollow noreferrer">18 U.S. Code § 478</a> says:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Whoever, within the United States, with intent to defraud, falsely makes, alters, forges, or counterfeits any bond, certificate, obligation, or other security of any foreign government, purporting to be or in imitation of any such security issued under the authority of such foreign government, or any treasury note, bill, or promise to pay, lawfully issued by such foreign government and intended to circulate as money, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>There are several similar laws for similar crimes:</p>

<p><a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/479" rel="nofollow noreferrer">§ 479 - Uttering counterfeit foreign obligations or securities</a><br>
<a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/480" rel="nofollow noreferrer">§ 480 - Possessing counterfeit foreign obligations or securities</a><br>
<a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/481" rel="nofollow noreferrer">§ 481 - Plates, stones, or analog, digital, or electronic images for counterfeiting foreign obligations or securities</a><br>
<a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/482" rel="nofollow noreferrer">§ 482 - Foreign bank notes</a><br>
<a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/483" rel="nofollow noreferrer">§ 483 - Uttering counterfeit foreign bank notes</a><br>
<a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/488" rel="nofollow noreferrer">§ 488 - Making or possessing counterfeit dies for foreign coins</a><br>
<a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/502" rel="nofollow noreferrer">§ 502 - Postage and revenue stamps of foreign governments</a>  </p>

<p>According to version of the <a href="http://www.gurtong.net/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=eLPDLffO3HE%3D&amp;tabid=342" rel="nofollow noreferrer">South Sudan penal code</a> I was able to find, counterfeiting is illegal.  But if I understand section 7 correctly (which I might not), most counterfeiting is not prosecutable under South Sudan law if it is not done in South Sudan.  Having a counterfeit revenue stamp, however, would be, as would fraudulently altering a coin.  Given that there's not an extradition treaty and that it's already illegal under US law, this probably doesn't matter much, though</p>

counterfeiting