Following on the heels of the case of the man who lost his job in Idaho because his wife has multiple sclerosis, we now have another example of why the United States needs health care reform.

 

Out of work and in need of health insurance, James Richard Verone of Gastonia, North Carolina, concluded the solution to his problems was to rob a bank, get caught and go to prison.

 

Verone worked for Coca-Cola for 17 years before he found himself struggling to find adequate employment. He lived off his savings and sought part-time work, while his 59-year-old body bothered him with back and foot pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis in his hands and an unspecified growth on his chest.

 

Desperate for care, Verone walked into his local RBC bank and demanded $1 from the teller. He then proceeded to wait for police to arrive and arrest him. Before doing so, he mailed a letter to the Gaston Gazette that stated, “When you receive this a bank robbery will have been committed by me. This robbery is being committed by me for one dollar. I am of sound mind but not so much sound body.”

 

Verone was hoping for a three-year sentence so that he can last until he qualifies for Social Security. But it appears that he aimed too low in committing his fail-proof crime. By demanding only $1, he was charged with larceny from a person, not bank robbery. He now resides in the local jail, awaiting trial.

-Noel Brinkerhoff, David Wallechinsky

 

Bank Robber Planned Crime and Punishment (by Diane Turbyfill, Gaston Gazette)

$1 Bank Robbery (WCNC-Charlotte)