An unemployed man desperate for health care has been charged with carrying out a bizarre bank robbery where he demanded the cashier hand over – just ONE DOLLAR.
Picture by Ben Goff / Gaston Gazette
Richard James Verone, 59, who was suffering from arthritis and a growth on his chest, couldn’t afford health care but knew prison would supply it.
So, unarmed, he allegedly walked into a bank in North Carolina, USA, and politely asked the cashier to hand over no more than a dollar (60p).
Verone then told the cashier he’d ”be sat over there”, and took a seat on a chair while he waited for police to turn up.
He had earlier written a letter to his local newspaper, The Gaston Gazette, saying: ”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 told the newspaper he had worked for Coca-Cola for 17 years but left three years ago and had a number of roles before worsening health forced him to quit.
He was forced to live off his savings and, after applying for early Social Security and was given food stamps, but could not afford health care and decided committing a crime was the best route.
Verone later told journalists he was a ”logical” man who carried out the crime ”out of necessity” because of his medical needs.
The unlikely criminal, who has never been in trouble with law before, is now being held at Gaston County Jail where he is receiving medical treatment.
He will appear in court next week and can expect to face up to one year in prison if found
Selfish, self centered bum. That’s all this man is now. He doesn’t want to be a burden on family, so he’s now going to be a burden to every tax payer as well as any victims of the criminal who is released to make space for his ignorant, government dependent butt. Ever hear of charitable organizations? Of course not, Mother Government will provide everything.
Dear FascistNaziBrain:
What pure drivel comes from your mouth! Jesus would forgive you, I suppose, but you cannot forgive or show empathy to any other humans, can you? Do you go to church, Mr. High&Mighty? Do you pray to the Prince of Peace for forgiveness and to be saved? I’m not sure you’ll be let into the Kingdom of Heaven with your attitude.
Does the kingdom of heaven have good internet?
God does really mean and nasty things, have you read the bible? Fascinating book, an excellent work fiction depicting the savagery of the era.
I think what this man did is a move that needed to be made to show the people of this country that our system is completely flawed. Currently we have people who have never worked and will never work receiving welfare to pay for children they had specifically to increase their take. With our government shelling out our tax money for that, this man who has worked his entire life can’t get the social security he has paid in his entire life to cover medical bills.
Our system needs major overhaul.
I’m not sure how the laws in other states are. But here in Iowa there is a lifetime limit of 5 years for receiving welfare.
I couldn’t agree with you more!!!!
Also to the first comment: Use proper grammar when publicly stating your opinion– especially on a topic as sensitive as this. Otherwise, you just look stupid.
I would like to see what length you would go to in order to live
Freedom! Forever!
I guess thats one way to beat the system. Rather see my taxs pay for his healthcare then the pedophiles or murders who get it.
I think this man did it in order to make Almerica react about health care.
I hope a few more people do this and the true criminals lose some of the crap we give them. 3 meals a day. Place to sleep. Place to exercise, libraries, etc. They live better than a bum. Good for this guy for doing it, hopefully it will smack some sense into someone. And hey, he saw a loophole and exploited it. Tis the American way.
If only they were cared for and educated in this expensive way back when they were in school….
…you do all realize this article isn’t real, right? it’s satirical. like, onion news and the smoking gun.
I really dont think it is, but please back up your arguement if you can
Give this man a break. And he did things politely.
HELL FREE MEDICAL CARE FOR people that come hear from OTHER countries.
BARACK OBAMA WILL TAKE CARE OF HIM.
It is so sad that his only option was bank robbery. I would much rather pay for his health care though then most of the criminals there.
This just goes to show how bad our prison and healthcare systems are. Punishments should be worse (death penalty should apply much more often), and healthcare should be much easier to acquire.
So answer this for me. You can come to this country with nothing. Not an effing single thing but make it across the border alive and you can pull up to a hospital with a self inflicted stab wound and you will get treated for free. This guy says that he has to rob a bank to get health care. Yeah, more like some activist internet reporter or reddit user got a hold to this lame brain and gave the good ‘ol what for in liberal education. Poetic justice for the reporter because the guy is white – he gets his healthcare in jail… Cross the border illegally you get all the kids you want and the welfare to go with em for free.
Get real!!! I work in healthcare!! I see people who spend their welfare checks to pay for their luxury cars, and I see people who busted their butts their whole life who are seeing their medicare and social security cheating them out of their healthcare options and medications they need to take regularly…..so much so, that they loose their homes and/or die from their illness because they can’t afford their medications. Our system is sooooo screwed up….not just one thing needs to be changed, but many things need an overhaul!!!
America has trillions of dollars to spend invading Iraq which posed no threat to anyone but can’t take care of their sick. I am so freakin glad I live in Canada. All you Americans just stay out of our country, we don’t want to be infected with whatever it is that ails all of you.
I was all ‘anti America’ a few years back. But have since realised a few things. They spend more on foreign aid than any other nation. So while you in canada are so well looked after by your own, perhaps the Americans could do better if they spent less on others. But, are you actually aware, they spend far more on health care per capita, than any other nation, this means more than Canada.
Would you elect Sadam? Elect oh and that’s something the Iraqis could not previously do. What ‘invader’ encourages free democratic elections.Invasion in Afganistan too? Do you know anything about their heath care system? Some places may not be a direct threat, but what becomes of future generations raised in such ghastly conditions. Are you proud to sit back and watch and at best complain. Congrats your opinions are so fashionable.
I am so freakin glad you live in Cana Da to, do you not remember the attacts on 9/11. Well maybe Canada will be next on the terrorists list or maybe not, because America sent their young men to fight the battles of the world. Will you set on your ass and complain about it!
Canada had special forces (JTF2) in Afghanistan WEEKS after 9/11 right along side American special forces. Canada has had almost 3000 combat troops on the ground there since 2002 and has suffered 157 combat deaths (THE HIGHEST RATIO OF DEATHS OF ANY NATO NATION IN THEATER). We are a very small country as far as population and military, but don’t you DARE say that we sat on our asses and complained about it.
Maybe if the US didn’t start all the “battles of the world” or interfere in foreign sovereign state ‘status quo’ when it doesn’t suit the US’s personal agenda to hypocritically set itself as a model to which the world should aspire when it is in-fact a hub of corruption and slavery with about as much actual democracy as your corporate financed election rigging oligarchy will allow you to have….then maybe “terrorists” may just have nothing much to complain about and we would all live happily ever after.
Sometimes I’d like to say the same for all those that come to America…including your fellow ex-Canadians who chose to come here. Perhaps then…jobs and healthcare would be more affordable. How dare you tell us to stay out when our doors have always been open to you. Our big problem is we spend too much money helping others and not our own. One day we, hopefully, will smarten up and turn our backs to other countries and face our own people which is where our concentration should be. Oh…but, then we would be called selfish. Too bad…I’m sick of hearing other countries bash mine! You are being ridiculous and sanctimonious with your so-called opinions. NO country is perfect, including yours.
we’re not all full of ailments. be careful of your generalizations they will trap your mind. some of us are trying to make things better and not just sitting around trolling/judging others. you take the good with the bad and do all you can to change and evolve. you are no better a person, you who lumps together and entire nation. the same as not all religious people are terrorists not all Americans stand ignorantly by. All masses are idiots, all nations included. It’s individuals who make change.
I don’t want to go to Canada – so there !
this is just extremely sad, smart move of this man, and I totally applaud the letter he wrote to the newspaper,I hope he got the care he needed and that he woke some people up in the process
land of the free has more prisoners per state, then any country in the world,
could this be why ?
I’ve never heard of being found Adrian Hearn.