Man robbed bank for $1 to cover jail health care

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Desperation apparently drove a North Carolina man to commit a bank robbery last week. What made him sit down and wait for police to arrive to arrest him, is another story.

"I'm sort of a logical person and that was my logic, what I came up with," James Verone said.

Verone says he came to the decision to rob the RBC Bank on Thursday of last week. He had no gun but handed the teller a rather unusual note.

"The note said this is a bank robbery. please only give me one dollar," Verone said.

 Then he did the strangest thing of all.



"I started to walk away from the teller then I went back and said, 'I'll be sitting right over there in the chair waiting for the police," he said.

And that is what he did. So why did he did he do everything he could to get arrested?

"I wanted to make it known that this wasn't for monetary reasons, but for medical reasons," he said.

That's right James Verone says he has no medical insurance. He has a growth of some sort on his chest, two ruptured disks and a problem with his left foot. He is 59 years old and with no job and a depleted bank account. He thought jail was the best place he could go for medical care and a roof over his head. Verone is hoping for a three-year sentence.

He'd then be able to collect social security when he got out, and says he'd head for the beach.

"I've already looked at a condominium. I've spoken to a realtor, on Myrtle Beach," he said.

He admits his story is unusual and says he wouldn't recommend anyone else do what he did, but James Verone says he has no regrets. He says he is getting good medical care now, but the jail doctor accused him of manipulating the system.

"If it is called manipulation, then out of necessity because I need medical care then I guess I am manipulating the courts to get medical care," he said.

Verone may have a little problem with his plan. Because he only demanded one dollar and didn't have a weapon police charged him not with bank robbery, but larceny, so he might not get as much time in the slammer as he was hoping for.

Source: 9News.com