Fort Worth Man Gets 80 Years For Buying A Hot Dog With Fake Money

FORT WORTH (AP/CBSDFW) - A Fort Worth man has been sentenced to 80 years in prison for trying to buy movie theater hot dogs with counterfeit cash.

Charles Cleveland Nowden was sentenced Friday, two days after being convicted of forgery.

Two years ago Nowden used a fake $20 bill when trying to buy hot dogs, popcorn and soft drinks at a Mansfield movie theater. Prosecutors say after his arrest, a police officer found more counterfeit bills worth $120 tucked into a wrapper of one of the hot dogs.

Prosecutors presented evidence about other theft cases pending against the 48-year-old in Tarrant and Lamar counties, including being linked by DNA to the theft of an 18-wheeler in 2010.

The Tarrant County District Attorney's Office says jurors also heard about Nowden's federal convictions for bank fraud and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

In a release to the media, Tarrant County's assistant District Attorney Dawn Ferguson said Nowden was "a career cargo-thief who needed to be brought to justice."

Nowden must serve at least 15 years before he's eligible for parole.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)