What Arthur Williams Jr. has said about Counterfeiting of United States currency

Williams says large amounts of cash make a counterfeiter a target, and that he has seen people killed over sums as small as $5,000.

“You get over $50,000, you get over $100,000, your life's in danger. It don't need to be $500,000. It don't need to be a million. I've seen people get killed for $5,000”

This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von: #681 - Ex-Counterfeiter Arthur Williams Jr. (Sep 8, 2026) · Listen from 21:36

Williams says the breakthrough came when Natalie realized that Yellow Pages phone-book paper passed the counterfeit detection pen.

“this whole time we've been looking for the paper and this is it, Art”

This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von: #681 - Ex-Counterfeiter Arthur Williams Jr. (Sep 8, 2026) · Listen from 40:14

Williams says every one of his bills was assembled by hand, including inserting the watermark and security strip individually.

“every single piece was hand done. Wow. Every piece, every one I put that watermark in, every one I laid that strip, every one of them”

This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von: #681 - Ex-Counterfeiter Arthur Williams Jr. (Sep 8, 2026) · Listen from 40:24

Williams says he used the U.S. patent office to obtain schematics for bank counting machines and to identify the supplier of the government's color-shifting ink.

“I literally defeated the bill by using their own knowledge”

This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von: #681 - Ex-Counterfeiter Arthur Williams Jr. (Sep 8, 2026) · Listen from 50:47

Williams says his first successful bill frightened him because he felt he had replicated the government's source of power.

“I'm like, man, they'll kill us. They'll kill us. I actually told them, they'll kill us for this, man. Like, this is their power”

This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von: #681 - Ex-Counterfeiter Arthur Williams Jr. (Sep 8, 2026) · Listen from 51:49

Williams says he deliberately spent counterfeit notes at large chains rather than small businesses so losses would fall on corporations.

“I don't want to go hit a mama pop with a bogus hunter, you know, because I don't want it to pop up on them in their bank and then they get it”

This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von: #681 - Ex-Counterfeiter Arthur Williams Jr. (Sep 8, 2026) · Listen from 58:50

Williams says he donated counterfeit cash and goods to Salvation Army drop boxes and struggling families, and describes that as among the best periods of his life.

“I would just tell Natalie, listen, just get diapers, baby clothes, baby shoes, baby toys. Let's go drop them off”

This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von: #681 - Ex-Counterfeiter Arthur Williams Jr. (Sep 8, 2026) · Listen from 54:46

Williams says his regrets concern his family rather than the businesses he passed fake money to, since he felt no guilt about the money itself.

“the things that I regret are more family. I didn't sell drugs and I wasn't into all that other stuff”

This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von: #681 - Ex-Counterfeiter Arthur Williams Jr. (Sep 8, 2026) · Listen from 2:00:24

Williams says he now views his money-based artwork as historical preservation because paper currency will soon disappear.

“soon there won't be currency. Soon there won't be paper currency, you know? Right. And so for me, it's almost like I'm preserving history through my pieces”

This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von: #681 - Ex-Counterfeiter Arthur Williams Jr. (Sep 8, 2026) · Listen from 2:14:07