The men appeared on US talk shows to boast of their find

They were charged with stealing the stash of old currency from a barn they were repairing in Massachusetts.

They deny the charges and claim they found the trove in rusting biscuit tins in the backyard of one of their homes.

Police said they might have got away with their subterfuge had they not sought publicity.

Fame seekers

Barry Billclif, 27, Timothy Crebase, 22, Kevin Kozak, 27, and Matt Ingham, 23, face several charges of theft including receiving stolen property.

Sometimes wanting to be famous is really the downfall of people Police Chief Joseph Solomon

Their story about finding the 1,800 bank notes and bills dating between 1899 and 1928 in Mr Kozak's garden beguiled television viewers across America.

But police, acting on a tip-off from an anonymous caller, took a closer interest in the story and found that details of their account appeared to change with each interview.

They noticed discrepancies about how far deep the men said they had dug to find the stash.

In some versions, they said they were removing a tree in the yard when they found the cache and in others, planting a tree.

Police Chief Joseph Solomon, of Methuen, Massachusetts, said: "Had they just put the money away or, you know, gone somewhere outside of the area and sold a little money at a time, I don't think anybody would have known or suspected anything.

"Sometimes wanting to be famous is really the downfall of people."