# Iran’s former central bank chief and . . . **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 9, 2013, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-s-former-central-bank-chief-and/649754 "2013-02-09T02:12:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-s-former-central-bank-chief-and/649754/1 "2013-02-09T02:12:20Z")
should have given to someone on the internet instead of [carrying it himself](http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/report-man-caught-by-german-customs-with-70m-check-was-former-chief-of-irans-central-bank/2013/02/02/d58ce696-6d8d-11e2-8f4f-2abd96162ba8_singlePage.html?tid=obnetwork) > [@](#): > > BERLIN — The German newspaper Bild am Sonntag reports that a man caught last month trying to enter Germany with a check worth about $70 million was Iran’s former central bank chief. > > The weekly reports that customs officials at Duesseldorf airport found the check in Tahmasb Mazaheri’s luggage Jan. 21 upon his arrival from Turkey. See, there are people who have SEVENTY MILLIONS DOLLARS AND DON’T KNOW HOW TO TAKE IT OUT OF THE COUNTRY. Dammit, I knew that some of these scams _could_ be legitimate. Now I’m going to have to start answering them again. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-s-former-central-bank-chief-and/649754/2 "2013-02-09T03:10:31Z")
There aren’t really enough details in the news story. Is it really a crime simply to bring $70 million into Germany? Did he not declare it? Were they searching his luggage looking for it, or was it a random search, or were they looking for something else? ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-s-former-central-bank-chief-and/649754/3 "2013-02-09T06:16:52Z")
Um why didn’t he just mail it in an envelope? It would be as thin as a piece of paper. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-s-former-central-bank-chief-and/649754/4 "2013-02-09T06:46:08Z")
Now _there’s_ someone who’d hate to get mugged. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-s-former-central-bank-chief-and/649754/5 "2013-02-09T06:52:49Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > There aren’t really enough details in the news story. > > Is it really a crime simply to bring $70 million into Germany? Did he not declare it? Were they searching his luggage looking for it, or was it a random search, or were they looking for something else? You have to declare a CHECK? He didn’t have cash, just a check for 70 million. Can you even cash or deposit that?:dubious: Who is to say it would have ever cleared. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-s-former-central-bank-chief-and/649754/6 "2013-02-09T08:10:51Z")
So he was the head of the central bank and _this_ is the best way he could think of for transfuring funds? :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-s-former-central-bank-chief-and/649754/7 "2013-02-09T08:54:46Z")
[Perhaps you remember the story of Don Johnson](http://articles.latimes.com/2003/mar/13/local/me-johnson13), yes, _that_ Don Johnson, caught at the German border with 8 BILLION (yes, Billion!) dollars! Ok, it wasn’t really 8 billion, it was financial paperwork about 8 billion in transactions; and it wasn’t his, and it was all about (supposedly) financing a film, but still… that’s not how it appeared in the press when the story blew up. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-s-former-central-bank-chief-and/649754/8 "2013-02-09T15:13:49Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > So he was the head of the central bank and _this_ is the best way he could think of for transfuring funds? :smack: Well, even the head of a top intelligence agency couldn’t figure out how to keep his email secret. . . .