--- description: A 45-year-old Kingsport, Tenn., woman was arrested on Sunday after she tried to use counterfeit bills at a local grocery store title: Woman Prints Her Own Cash, Blames Obama When She's Arrested image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # This Woman Blamed Obama When She Was Arrested Trying to Spend Counterfeit Bills by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 15, 2015 7:15 AM CUT by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 15, 2015 7:15 AM CUT A 45-year-old Tennessee woman had a novel [excuse](http://www.timesnews.net/article/9089540/thanks-obama-obama-blamed-for-kingsport-counterfeiting "undefined") when she was arrested on Sunday for trying to use crude, counterfeit dollar bills at a local grocery store — blaming her actions on U.S. President Barack Obama. Pamela Downs, of Kingsport, Tenn., was detained by police after two bills printed in black and white on regular copy paper were recovered from her person along with a receipt for a new printer and said copy paper. She claimed that a new law passed by Obama permitted her to print her own money since she was on a fixed income, reports the Kingsport _Times News_. The police were first alerted after she tried to pay a local grocer with a homemade $5 bill. After searching Downs’ purse, police recovered a second $100 bill printed on computer paper with the two sides stuck together with glue (though one upside down). During her police interview, Downs reportedly said, “I don’t give a \*\*\*\*, all these other bitches get to print money so I can too.” She also told officers that she read about the new law on the Internet. The _Times News_ reports that counterfeit bills totaling between $30,000 and $50,000 plus paper, scissors, glue and a printer were seized after her apartment was searched. Downs was charged with criminal simulation and counterfeiting. \[[_Times News_](http://www.timesnews.net/article/9089540/thanks-obama-obama-blamed-for-kingsport-counterfeiting "undefined")\] ### Pucker Up: 15 Awkward Political Kisses  Texas Sen. Ted Cruz kisses his wife before walking onstage to speak at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., to announce his presidential candidacy on March 23. Mark Wilson—Getty Images  President Barack Obama gives German Chancellor Angela Merkel a kiss on the cheek on arrival for the G8 Summit on May 18, 2012 at Camp David, Md. Charles Dharapak—AP  Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry kisses his wife Teresa Heinz Kerry at a victory rally after the U.S. senator from Massachusetts was projected the winner in the Wisconsin primary Feb. 17, 2004 in Madison, Wisc. Chris Hondros—Getty Images  Republican presidential candidate, Texas Gov. Rick Perry kisses his wife Anita at the end of a news conference at Hyatt Place, Jan. 19, 2012 in North Charleston, S.C. Allison Joyce—Getty Images  Former Vice President Al Gore is kissed by his wife Tipper, after addressing the delegates at the Democratic National Convention on July 26, 2004, in Boston. Ron Edmonds—AP  (L-R) Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, kisses his wife, Ann Romney, in front of Republican vice presidential candidate, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) and wife, Janna Ryan, on stage after conceding the presidency during Mitt Romney's campaign election night event at the Boston Convention—Exhibition Center on Nov. 7, 2012 in Boston. Matthew Cavanaugh—Getty Images  Republican presidential candidate Texas Gov. George W. Bush kisses talk show host Oprah Winfrey on Sept. 19, 2000 after appearing on her program in Chicago. 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Justin Sullivan—Getty Images  Former President George W. Bush, right, kisses former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during the ground breaking ceremony for the President George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas on Nov. 16, 2010. LM Otero—AP  Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum kisses his wife Karen before speaking to supporters at an election-night party in the gymnasium of Steubenville High School in Steubenville, Ohio on March 6, 2012. Gene J. Puskar—AP  US President George W. Bush is greeted by one of his dogs after arriving from giving the commencement speech at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, aboard Marine One on the south lawn of the White House in Washington on May, 21, 2005. Andrew Councill—AFP/Getty Images ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3958348/tennessee-counterfeit-money-cash/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3958348/tennessee-counterfeit-money-cash/"},"headline":"This Woman Blamed Obama When She Was Arrested Trying to Spend Counterfeit Bills","datePublished":"2015-07-15T07:15:25.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:02:29.192Z","description":"Pamela Downs is no master forger","url":"https://time.com/3958348/tennessee-counterfeit-money-cash/","keywords":["Crime","Money","Tennessee","cash"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3958348/tennessee-counterfeit-money-cash/","name":"This Woman Blamed Obama When She Was Arrested Trying to Spend Counterfeit Bills"}}]}] ```