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Benefits June 21, 2011
Man Robs Bank for Health Care until Social Security
June 21, 2011 (PLANSPONSOR.com) – Earlier this month, James Verone walked into an RBC Bank in Gastonia, North Carolina, and handed a note to the teller saying, “This is a bank robbery. Please only give me one dollar.”
Reported by Rebecca Moore
TV station WCNC reports that after the teller complied, Verone told the teller he would be sitting on a chair in the lobby waiting for police. Verone, 59, told the TV station he thought the robbery was the only logical way to get medical attention.
He says he has no criminal history, and he also has no job, little money, a growth on his chest, two ruptured discs in his back, and a foot problem.
The news report said the jail doctor argues Verone is manipulating the system. Verone said, “If it’s called manipulation, then out of necessity because I need medical care, I guess I am manipulating the courts to get medical care,” according to WCNC.
Verone is charged with larceny. He hopes for a sentence of about three years, after which he can collect social security.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time someone has come up with such a desperate plan. In 2006, a sixty-two year old Ohio man decided to rob a bank so he could spend the few years before he could start collecting Social Security in prison (see Ohio Man Chooses Prison to Stay Financially Afloat).