Recent news stories suggesting the March 18th, 2011 Liberty Dollars verdict is a signal that the Government is against private currencies are categorically incorrect and ignore the facts of the case.

In the North Carolina Federal District Court trial the defense for Bernard vonNothaus improperly tried to argue that Liberty Dollar coins represented legitimate voluntary private barter currency transactions.  But the Government and jury rejected that misplaced aregument; "there can be no private currency system that functions through the private creation and distribution of counterfeit coins designed in resemblance and similitude of the United States coins.  The defendant was not operating a private currency system, rather he was counterfeiting United States coins and using deceptive means to inject them into the flow of current money to defraud the public." (Governement Brief filed on April 7, 2011 in the U.S. District Court by U.S. Attorney Anne B. Thompkins).

IRTA moved quickly to correct various erroneous stories circulating about the vonNothaus verdict.  IRTA Exectuvie Director Ron Whitney said, "The Liberty Dollar's verdict is completely separate from the legally recognized Modern Trade and Barter Industry and in our view it does not represent an effort on the government's part to declare vaild TEFRA compliant barter transactions as illegal activity."