History Main / ForeignMoneyIsProofOfGuilt

** Actually, USSR had state monopoly on currency exchange, so during [[DarkerAndEdgier darker times]] possessing foreign currency [[TruthInTelevision was a crime in itself]]. As operations with it (e.g. exchange). The "valuta" as a word creeped into Russian usage first through underground shroffs who were pursued by officials but still had basically a whole populace for a market because Rouble was (and still it, if you look at fluctuations) just not a very reliable currency and, worse yet, government regularry manipulated it on purpose to get into people's pockets. Ironically, some of the "valutchiki" - as this class of criminals was called - actually made it to banker-oligarchs after the fall of USSR.

** Actually, USSR had state monopoly on currency exchange, so during [[DarkerAndEdgier darker times]] possessing foreign currency [[TruthInTelevision could be considered evidence of some crime]].

* Part of the evidence used to convict former South African {{Cricket}} captain Hansie Cronje of a match-fixing scandal was the fact that he was in possession of foreign money. In South Africa, it is illegal to possess foreign money unless one is travelling to or has recently returned from a foreign country.

* ''Rogue's Home'' by HilariBell has a variation. [[spoiler: A man the heroes suspect was bribed to leave town is found dead with foreign currency in his pockets. One of the coins is from a faraway town that only one merchant is known to trade in, implicating him as the briber.]]

* ''Series/{{Farscape}}''. In "Crichton Kicks", newcomer Sikozu is suspected of working with the [[TheDreaded Scarrans]] because she has their currency. She points out that everyone else in their gang of outlaws is from Peacekeeper territory, so whose money do ''they'' have in their pockets? Her species is under Scarran domination, so naturally they have to use Scarran currency.

* ''Series/{{Farscape}}''. In "Crichton Kicks", newcomer Sikozu is suspected of working with the [[TheDreaded Scarrans]] because she has their currency. She points out that everyone else in their gang of outlaws is from Peacekeeper territory, so whose money do they have in their pockets? Her species is currently under Scarran control, so naturally it uses their currency.

* In ''[[ASongOfIceAndFire A Feast for Crows]]'', Cersei Lannister discovers one of the jailers who was guarding Tyrion had some gold pieces that might have come from House Tyrell, who were trying to marry their daughter to her son. Since Tyrion had just [[spoiler: murdered their father and escaped after being found guilty for killing Cersei's other son, Joffrey]] this made her suspect the Tyrell's had bribed the jailer to free Tyrion, even though Lord Tyrell wanted Tyrion dead since his daughter could have died at his hands. It's implied the jailer [[MasterOfDisguise was actually spymaster Varys]], who presumably left the coin there to encourage Cersei's paranoia about the Tyrells.

* This came up a number of times in the ''{{Belgariad}}'' saga by David Eddings. In this case, however, it is not the stamp on the coins that is a giveaway, but the color -- the AlwaysChaoticEvil Murgos have access to a virtually bottomless gold-mine, which has iron contamination in it, giving the gold a red tinge. And they are quite free with it... as such, anyone caught with red gold in their pockets has probably been bribed by the Murgos.

* There's no question about guilt in ''Literature/TheBelgariad'': The Imperial Legions desert ''en masse'' within sight of the Imperial capital of Tol Honeth. However, they're induced to do so by "red Murgo gold", which Ce'Nedra (the Imperial princess) is casually scattering about the field while talking about how the Murgo soldiers seem to have ''so much'' of it, so it must be just ''lying around for the taking'' in Cthol Murgos (which is where she wants them to go). The officers try to stop it, but pretty much the entire rank-and-file defect to the princess from her father.

* In the {{BBC}} series ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'', SherlockHolmes suspects a car dealer of having lied about traveling overseas. He sneaks a peak in the man's wallet and sees a Colombian banknote, the final clue he needs to solve the case.

* In ''[[ThreeHundred 300]]'', Theron is exposed when he is caught with Persian coins. In RealLife, Persian money was made from precious metals but Spartan money was made from iron; metaphor alert! While there's no clear reason that he would carry them with him, it does make sense since he fully expected the Persians to take over and make other currencies worthless.
* ''TheGirlInGoldBoots'', a ''MST3K''-riffed film from the 60's, has Critter introduce himself by asking for change for a hundred, then a fifty. Buzz then tries to rob ''him'', inverting the trope. Later on, we learn that said money is actually Nepalese money. [[spoiler: But this trope is then played straight when it's discovered that Critter was hiding in Nepal and now here to keep from being drafted for the Vietnam War.]]
* ''Chain Reaction''. The protagonists have money planted in their homes to make it look like the Chinese government are bribing them.

* In ''Series/{{Castle}}'', a victim is suspected to be a spy involved in something highly questionable when his car is discovered with a large quantity of Euros in the trunk. [[spoiler: Subverted -- the victim was ''actually'' on a 'spy vacation' and the Euros were part of the game.]]

TruthInTelevision in that possessing foreign currency was itself a crime in the USSR and some of its satellite countries. In fact, it is a crime in a lot of countries. It's called "currency smuggling," although you generally have to have quite a LOT of foreign money to run afoul of it. If you're on vacation and bring home a few coins to show your family, you should be OK.

* Though not using foreign money, a man accused of robbing several vending machines paid his bail with quarters, dimes, and nickels.

* Averted at least once in RobertJordan's ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' series. After a man who tried to kill Rand is found to have Tar Valon coins one of the Asha'man [[spoiler: who is a traitor himself]] argues that this is evidence that the Aes Sedai planned it. CoolOldGuy Davram Bashere promptly points out that many men in the area, including Davram himself, have more than a bit of Tar Valon currency.
* In book two of the ''KnightAndRogueSeries'' Fisk begins to suspect [[spoiler:Worthington]] is the criminal when he sees that one of the victims had been paid off with money from very far north, farther than most traders go, but his newest suspect has been bragging about trading as far as.

* There is an urban legend of an influencial Soviet man who made a lot of money illegally and converted it to US dollars. However, thanks to his influence, the KGB couldn't even search his house for evidence. He was about to emigrate to the US, and invited many influencial friends to his going-away party, including the American ambassador. After the party, he boarded the plane and left. The KGB search his luggage and find no money. They then search his house and find a large pile of ash. Turns out he had the ambassador witness him burning all his cash and sign an official document that a certain amount of currency was indeed destroyed. All the man had to do was go to the nearest Federal Reserve bank in the States and show them the document to get his money back (it is US government practice to replace ''provably'' destroyed currency.)

* In ''{{Adam-12}}'', a soldier at the UsefulNotes/LosAngeles airport coming home from Japan claims to have been robbed. The alleged pickpocket says it's his money. The cop, looking at it, points out that ''Japanese Yen spends pretty hard here.''

* In ''Series/BabylonFive'' Garibaldi is [[FallGuy framed]] for a bombing, and as part of this Centauri Ducats are planted in his quarters. Somewhat justified in that Ducats seem to be the hard currency of choice for many races.

* In ''[[ThreeHundred 300]]'', Theron is exposed when he is caught with Persian coins. In RealLife, Persian money was made from precious metals but Spartan money was made from iron; metaphor alert!

** Actually, USSR had state monopoly on currency exchange, so during [[DarkerAndEdgier darker times]] posessing foreign currency [[TruthInTelevision could be considered evidence of some crime]].

* This came up a number of times in the ''{{Belgariad}}'' saga by David Eddings. In this case, however, it is not the stamp on the coins that is a giveaway, but the color -- the AlwaysChaoticEvil Murgos have access to a virtually bottomless gold-mine, which has some sort of contamination in it, giving the gold a red tinge. And they are quite free with it... as such, anyone caught with red gold in their pockets has probably been bribed by the Murgos.

* ''JusticeLeagueUnlimited'': When someone hired to kill ''{{Aquaman}}'' was caught, his payment clued the heroes to the fact the one who hired the hitman was [[spoiler:Orm]].