First year law students are taught in Criminal Law that offenses
usually include an “actus reus” and a “mens rea”; that is, a
“bad act” combined with a “bad intent”. With only a few notable
exceptions, such as traffic tickets or DWI/DUI, all criminal
prosecutions require the State to prove that the defendant
intentionally committed a criminal act. Keep that in mind as we
discuss Pierre’s personal story of how a trip to McDonald’s
landed his friend in hot water. Pierre’s friend had received a
$5 bill in change at a parking garage. Later he and Pierre went
to McDonald’s for a nutritious lunch and attempted to pay with
that $5 bill. The cashier/manager marked the bill with one of
those counterfeit pens, and declared it to be a fake. After
pulling another $5 out to pay, the two seat themselves in the
restaurant to enjoy their meal. Meanwhile, the police are
called, because that’s what happens when counterfeit money is
detected. The friend is, of course, eventually questioned by the
police: The cop walks up to our