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NC Man Robs Bank for $1 for Free Jail Health Care

By Cynthia Hsu, Esq. on June 22, 2011 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Would you rob a bank for health care? James Verone did.

Verone walked into the RBC Bank in North Carolina last week. When he arrived, he gave the teller a note that said he was robbing the bank - and to please give him $1.

Unemployed and uninsured, Verone is 59 years old. He has a growth on his chest, two ruptured disks and a problem with his left foot, reports the Los Angeles Times. He thought that if he robbed the bank, he would get thrown into jail, where he would have access to a doctor.

Verone has no prior criminal history, according to the Los Angeles Times. After he got the dollar from the teller, he sat down on the couch while the teller called 911 and waited patiently until the police arrived. He was unarmed.

"I'm sort of a logical person, and that was my logic, what I came up with," Verone said to reporters according to ABC News.

Verone was hoping for a 3-year jail sentence so he would be eligible for social security payments upon his release from prison, reports CBS News. He was already planning on purchasing a condo in Myrtle Beach afterwards.

Unfortunately, Verone is now facing a wrench in his plans, as he was only charged with larceny from a person instead of a bank robbery charge which means he will likely be spending a lot less than 3 years in prison, CBS News reports.

Larceny is essentially the taking of someone else's property with the intent to permanently deprive them of it. In most jurisdictions, a robbery charge usually requires that the perpetrator use some sort of force or fear against the victim in order to get the property.

As illogical as it seems, perhaps James Verone's "logical" move shows just how desperate the times are for those who are uninsured, unable to find employment, and cannot afford healthcare. Though most Americans would not rob a bank for health care, it is widely known that the U.S. spends heavily on healthcare - more so than most other industrialized nations.

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