Yes. You read the headline above correctly. James Verone walked into an RBC Bank, asked for one dollar and waited for the police to pick him up – all so Uncle Sam would cover his medical care. Did it work?
You betcha!
Verone, 59, is unemployed and has no health insurance. He claims to have a growth on his chest, two ruptured disks in his back and a problem with his left foot.
He was hoping a three-year sentence in the slammer would get him the medical care he needs.
To land himself behind bars, an unarmed Verone walked into the RBC Bank in Gastonia, NC, and handed the teller a note that read: This is a bank robbery. Please only give me one dollar.
Then he told the teller he’d be sitting in the lobby, waiting for the police to arrive.
Mission accomplished. Verone is now spending his time behind bars, but it might not as much time as he’d hoped. Because he didn’t have a weapon, Verone was charged with larceny and not bank robbery. A larceny charge will likely result in much less jail time.
But for now, he’s getting the medical care he sought. Verone says he’s happy with the care he’s getting, even though the jail doctor accuses him of gaming the system.
Verone doesn’t deny that he manipulated the system but seems to take solace in the fact that he did it out of necessity.
Info: To watch NBC’s interview with Verone, click here.
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