What do you think about this?

Here’s the news article:

Having already set his affairs in order, James Verone calmly walked into an RBC bank in North Carolina and committed his first crime in his 59 years on this planet. Verone handed the teller a note that read "This is a bank robbery. Please only give me one dollar," took the dollar from the terrified clerk, and sat down on a couch in the bank's lobby.

"'I'll be sitting right over there in the chair waiting for the police," Verone told the bank teller. And wait he did. Police arrived moments later and apprehended him, hauling him off to the jail cell he so desperately wanted to enter.

No, James Verone isn't crazy. He isn't a career criminal. He didn't rob the bank to get drugs or booze. He didn't do it to get attention or on a lark. James Verone walked into that bank and committed a felony because going to jail was the only way he could receive the health care he needed to survive.

He's 59 and well past the point of finding a new career. He was laid off from his 17-year job and, with unemployment hardly a survivable wage, took the first job that came his way. He developed a growth on his chest - the sort of medical condition that could be life-threatening - and earned two ruptured disks in his back, along with problems with his left foot.

After depleting his life savings and realizing he had, literally, nowhere else to turn, Verone committed the crime, hoping he could get the medical care that he so desperately needs.

Now what the news report doesn’t say is that he has a plan. He hopes to get 3 years. That’s because 3 years from now his social security will kick in and he can retire to live on the beach in Florida. He already has the condo picked out and the realtor is standing by.

I’m not sure what to think. Part of me says the guy is manipulating the system, how dare he? I hope he gets the maximum penalty and does time in a federal penitentiary. But another part of me feels terribly sorry for this man. He’s, apparently a law-abiding citizen who has worked his whole life away and finds himself in a terrible situation. He is just desperate for health care. That part of me hopes he get’s 3 years in club-fed and they can clear up his medical issues.

I heard that story on the radio the other day. The thing I can't figure out is how is he going to buy that Florida condo in three years if he's already used up his savings?

I don't know the legal ramifications, but the radio story mentioned that since he stole only one dollar and it was his first crime, it may not be a felony worth three years hard time.

It was a bank robbery, so he will likely get the time. Sometimes you gotta do what ya gotta do.

he isn't the first I've heard of that pulled this kinda thing .... if he had a gun, or said he had a gun, it's armed robbery (my understanding of the law) and would be treated as such regardless of the amt taken...

I'm sure some of the lawyers on this forum can explain more/better

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/off-topic-discussion/man-robs-back-for-health-care/36727/page1/

See here for the ongoing discussion.

mndsm wrote: See here for the ongoing discussion.

If you're going to be picky about it, this discussion actually started first.

stuart in mn wrote:

mndsm wrote: See here for the ongoing discussion.

If you're going to be picky about it, this discussion actually started first.

The good DrBoost should write better ads if he wants more clients.

stuart in mn wrote:

mndsm wrote: See here for the ongoing discussion.

If you're going to be picky about it, this discussion actually started first.

I was just following the popular kids....

oldsaw wrote:

stuart in mn wrote:

mndsm wrote: See here for the ongoing discussion.

If you're going to be picky about it, this discussion actually started first.

The good DrBoost should write better ads if he wants more clients.

Yeah, it's all in the title, isn't it. At least the folks posting on THIS thread are not just following the pack
I was thinking about this last night a bit more. OK, so the guy is out of work. I know where he's coming from as I was outta work for nearly 2 years. Now, I'm in my late 30's NOT my late 50's so there is a HUGE difference there. I feel for him.
He's has a financial plan set in place that will allow him to retire in FL on the beach (had condo and real estate agent set up already) in 3 years. Ok, that tells me he has his crap together. My take is, you MUST have another means of getting medical care. When I was unemployed I was covered, as well as my wife and kids so I have a hard time believing he would be screwed.
If he gets his medical care in jail or on the public time I'm still paying for it anyway so maybe it doesn't matter. If he's willing to go to federal prison to get medical care, and all the risks that are associated with the big house he must be quite desperate.