History Main / ForeignMoneyIsProofOfGuilt

* ''Film/LicenceToKill'': Not foreign currency, but a similar principle. Bond plants the money he had stolen earlier from Sanchez on board Krest's yacht in order to convince Sanchez is par of a conspiracy against him.
* ''Film/QuantumOfSolace'': Discussed regarding the compromised agent who tries to kill M; who had small amounts of cash in pounds, euros, and dollars. M points out that that is not suspicious for anyone, including her. What is suspicious is that all the bills the agent had were part of a currency-tracking operation.

** On 2012, the Mahon Tribunal [[https://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0322/314964-mahon/ found no evidence for corruption]] but stated Ahern failed to truthfully explain the provenance of these funds.

* 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. And then double subverted; real foreign money was never used in-game — the money found in the car was actually more than the price of the spy vacation itself. Eventually it turns out to be a side-scheme by one of the vacation company employees.]]

** Curiously, in times when the novel took place it ''wasn't'' a crime to possess and even trade in a foreign currency[[note]]the novel was initially set during [[UsefulNotes/TheSovietTwenties the NEP]], when a lot more economic freedom was permitted[[/note]]; the regulations were tightened much later, basically only ''after'' the Stalin's death, so the guy's only real crime was basically accepting a bribe. The police finding it in dollars would only be a minor problem, adding maybe a misdemeanor to his case.

* ''Film/QuantumOfSolace'': Discussed regarding the compromised MI6 agent who tries to kill M; who had small amounts of cash in pounds, euros, and dollars. M points out that that is not suspicious for people at MI6. What is suspicious is that all the bills he had were part of a currency-tracking operation.

* ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'': If you accept Koveras' ring of protection, it turns out that some of the gold in it was minted in Amn, which contributes to convincing the local police that you're an assassin in Amn's employ. (But if you don't, they arrest you anyway.)

[[folder:Film]]

* ''Film/ChainReaction''. The protagonists have money planted in their homes to make it look like the Chinese government are bribing them.

* In ''Literature/{{Jingo}}'', the apparent assassin of the visiting prince is apparently paid in Klatchian currency. [[spoiler:This is in fact because the room was [[OrgyOfEvidence staged to make it look like an obvious frame-up]] against the Klatchians, so [[IKnowYouKnowIKnow Vimes would think they didn't hire the assassin]], because they did — in Ankh-Morpork currency, which was exchanged for Klatchian after their patsy was dead.]]
* In the Literature/XWingSeries, Dr. Edda Gast, a MadScientist, is captured by the New Republic and offers her complete cooperation in return for amnesty for her crimes, a new identity, and half-a-million credits in cash. Though she promises not to return to her previous ways, everybody knows she is lying through her teeth and will return to her previous activities as soon as she is released, and the fact that she demands Imperial credits simply reinforces that. However, the Republic honors their bargain, gives her the new identity and the money, and release her onto Coruscant...where she is promptly arrested by the customs agent at the spaceport. Since the New Republic and the Empire are at war, [[FramingTheGuiltyParty attempting to bring Imperial credits into the New Republic capital qualifies as smuggling, and since she is carrying]] ''[[FramingTheGuiltyParty so much value]]'' [[FramingTheGuiltyParty in Imperial credits, the charge will actually include attempted sedition as well.]] Nawara Ven, the Twi'lek lawyer from the Republic that Gast had repeatedly insulted throughout their encounters, [[AreYouSureYouWantToDoThat had repeatedly asked her if she really wanted to take the money in that fashion]], and when Gast had refused any other alternative, he stepped back and let her [[TooDumbToLive walk into the customs entrance]].
* In ''Literature/TheMasterAndMargarita'', there was a guy who got arrested because the police found foreign currency in his apartment; he had accepted a bribe from {{Satan}}, but in roubles. Woland/Satan then anonymously called the police, who found the currency, now mysteriously American dollars.
** Curiously, in times when the novel took place it ''wasn't'' a crime to possess and even trade in a foreign currency[[note]]the novel was initially set during [[UsefulNotes/TheSovietTwenties the NEP]], when a lot more economic freedom was permitted[[/note]]; the regulations were tightened much later, basically only ''after'' the Stalin's death, so the guy's only real crime was basically accepting a bribe. The police finding it in dollars would only be a minor problem, adding maybe a misdemeanor to his case.

* ''Rogue's Home'' by Creator/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.]]
* In ''Cold Copper Tears'', Garrett finds several temple-minted coins that identify the Sons of Hammon cult as the bad guys. Not only are these coins clues, but they're also illegal in Karenta, where the cult and its coinage were outlawed by royal decree over a century before. Justified in that the cult's leaders are so brainwashed that they think no mortal agency can stop them, and that the end of the world is imminent so it won't matter if they're exposed.

* Variation: In ''Literature/DayWatch'', AmnesiacGod Vitaly discovers that his bag is full of dollars and immediately thinks he's up to something illegal.

* Inverted in ''The Spycatcher's Omnibus'' by Lt.-Col. Oreste Pinto. The author, a counter-intelligence agent, is interrogating a former member of the Dutch Resistance who allegedly escaped from Gestapo custody, returning to Holland a hero with a large sum of money that he claims he stole from a German military vehicle fleeing Holland with {{plunder}}. The author points out the flaw in this story--why would the Germans bother stealing ''Dutch'' currency which would be useless to an army retreating into Germany? Turns out the 'hero' was actually a paid Gestapo informant.
* Literature/{{Burke}} discovers gold Krugerrands in the house of a pedophile, at the time illegal for importation into the US, but ones minted before the ban are legal tender. It's implied these coins were actually minted after the ban, but stamped otherwise and smuggled into the US.
* ''Literature/BrotherCadfael'': "The Hermit Of Eyton Forest": One knight has coins minted by the Empress Matilda rather than King Stephen (both of which are fighting for the English crown). Here it's not so much proof of guilt as confirming Cadfael's suspicion, and while the man does turn out to be [[spoiler:guilty of killing the titular hermit]], neither Cadfael not Hugh Beringar are inclined to go after him. It helps that [[spoiler:the hermit was himself an impostor and a traitor to Matilda]].

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* In ''Series/Adam12'', 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 the Creator/{{BBC}} series ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'', Franchise/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.

* ''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 [[SpacePolice 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/TheProfessionals''. In "The Untouchables", Bodie pretends to be arranging a contract killing for a DiplomaticCoverSpy, and insists on being paid in Swiss francs. As the diplomat has to make special arrangements to convert the money when the banks are closed, it leaves a money trail that's later used to make the diplomat look like he's plotting against his GloriousLeader.

* In the card game ''Banana Republic'', the objective is to pay off enough electors to become President of Banania. Now, the citizens of the Republic are used to corruption, but they're also very patriotic; if some muckraking journalist discovers that an elector has been paid with evil American dollars, as opposed to nutritious home-grown bananas, the elector will be forced to repudiate the bribe.
* The [[ProudWarriorRaceGuys Clans]] in ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'' automatically believe this in the presence of ''any'' hard currency. They only issue 'work scrip' within their own individual clans, implied to be digital currency to exchange for goods, and use a kind of basic coinage known as Kerenskys to allow members of their merchant caste to bargain between clans. The presence of any other sort of currency on ''anyone'' is by default considered evidence of participating in the illegal black markets and punished severely, because they accept no other reason that a person would have any form of money that can't be spent openly in the Clan economy.

* In ''Series/AdamTwelve'', 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.''

* There is an urban legend of an influential 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 influential 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.)
** Western currency, especially USD (used as hard currency for Western, i. e. higher quality goods), made normal citizens suspicious in former Eastern Bloc countries because it was illegal and undermined the value of local currencies by being on the black market. However, it was an OpenSecret that high-ranking party members traded in dollars.
** During the Stalinist purges a museum curator was arrested for "possession of foreign currency" and "stockpiling weapons for an intended coup". They were in actuality the [[InsaneTrollLogic antique exhibits in the museum where he worked]].

** 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 is, 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.

** Another aversion happens with a riverboat captain [[HeKnowsTooMuch who knows too much]]. His enemies try to silence him by giving him a packet of letters, a generously sized purse, and an address to which the letters need to be delivered. So far, nothing strange. However, when the captain decides on a whim to count the money, he realizes that all the coins are Tar Valon currency. He then becomes suspicious enough to open a letter and, as you might think, the letter contains accusations of him conspiring with the Aes Sedai. Realizing that the combination of the letters and the money would be enough to get him executed when he reaches his destination, the captain simply burns the letters and asks his first mate if he knows anyone at their destination who might be inclined to buy a large quantity of moody silver quickly and discreetly and not shaft him too badly.

It's also not uncommon for somebody to have foreign money planted in their possessions to make it ''look'' like they did it. Sometimes part of a FalseFlagOperation. Can overlap with GlobalCurrencyException.

* Variation: In ''[[Literature/NightWatch The Day Watch]]'', [[AmnesiacGod Vitaly]] discovers that his bag is full of dollars and immediately thinks he's up to something illegal.