Popcorn, a hot dog - and 80 years in jail

A fake $20 note could land an American career criminal in jail for 80 years after he tried to use the forgery to buy a hot dog and popcorn at the movies.

Charles Nowden, 48, fell foul of a vigilant staff member who checked the authenticity of the $20 note he handed over and uncovered the scam.

The worker told the court in Mansfield, Texas, that Nowden appeared nervous and asked several times if there was a problem wiht the money - and even tried to change it with another note.

Assistant District Attorney Dawn Ferguson told the Boston Herald: "Charles Nowden was a career cargo thief who needed to be brought to justice.

Nowden was convicted of forgery for possessing the counterfeit bill, as well as another $120 in counterfeit bills he tried to hide inside the hot dog wrapper in 2009.

He claimed the money was change he got at a petrol station.

He faces up to life in prison because he has prior convictions and two pending cases. He will be eligible for parole in 15 years.

He feels that the pending theft cases from 2007 and an arrest in July made him a target for authorities seeking to get him on anything.

"This has been going on for four years. They would never take me to trial. They were harassing me. They were harassing my family. People I care about wouldn't come around any more because they were harassing them," Nowden said.