Liberty Dollar associate and merchant discounts ranged from 0.0%–50%+ (zero to more than fifty percent) depending on where the price of silver was, relative to the Liberty Dollar base value, the Liberty Dollar base value crossover points, and the time periods during which the price stayed above varying moving-day averages over 30, 60 or 90 days in a fluctuating market, based on Liberty Dollar formulas worked out by von NotHaus. Regional currency office A "regional currency office" was a kind of distributor of Liberty Dollars. In exchange for a fee paid to the Liberty Dollar Organization, they could purchase Liberty dollars for resale at a discount. They were also authorized to purchase, convert, or perhaps exchange Liberty Dollars for Federal Reserve Notes. Legal issues Federal Government response Numerous individuals within the U.S. Government have been interviewed regarding the Liberty Dollar. The Liberty Dollar organization asserted one Secret Service agent claimed "It's not counterfeit money" while remaining "skeptical" of NORFED. Another agent reportedly warned that the Liberty Dollar "appears to be in violation of ." The minting of Liberty Dollar coins also appears to be in violation of : The promoter of the Liberty Dollar asserts that Claudia Dickens, spokeswoman for the U.S. Treasury Department's Bureau of Engraving and Printing, had previously said American Liberty Currency is legitimate. Dickens was quoted as having said "There's nothing illegal about this", after the Treasury Department's legal team reviewed the currency. "As long as it doesn't say 'legal tender' there's nothing wrong with it." In 2006 the U.S. Mint issued a press release stating that prosecutors at the Justice Department had determined that using Liberty Dollars as circulating money is a federal crime. The press release also stated that the "Liberty Dollars" are meant to compete with the circulating coinage (currency) of the United States and such competition consequently is a criminal act. The Justice Department also stated that the Liberty Dollar was confusingly similar to actual U.S. currency, and the language used on NORFED's website was deceptive. The Liberty Dollar organization responded to the Mint's press release by stating that "[t]he Liberty Dollar never has claimed to be, does not claim to be, is not, and does not purport to be, legal tender." The promoters of the Liberty Dollar have asserted that the Liberty Dollar is not legal tender, and that legal tender and barter are mutually exclusive concepts. The promoter asserts that