In 1913 when the Federal Reserve Act was fraudulently pushed through Congress. Most people assume that the Federal Reserve Bank is federal--that is, part of the united States' government. However, the Ninth Circuit Court put that issue to rest in 1982 when they adjudicated:
that Reserve Banks are not federal instrumentalities for purposes of the FTCA, but are independent, privately-owned and locally controlled corporations." [Lewis vs. U.S., 680 F. 2d 1239, 1241]
Federal Reserve Notes are illegal according to Article I, Section 8 of the United States Constitution: "The Congress shall have Power...to coin Money". Notice that it states "coin" not "print".