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From The Independent
A homeless man who tried to use a counterfeit $20 bill to buy food and toothpaste has been sentenced to up to six years in prison.
Levi Mitchell, 53, was found guilty of “criminal possession of a forged instrument” after attempting to use the fake bill at a pharmacy in New York City and again at a nearby restaurant.
Cashiers at both establishments rejected the homeless man’s note, before police officers later found him in possession of five counterfeit $20 bills, each worth around £15.
Mitchell was initially sentenced to up to eight years in prison following the March 2015 offence, but he had his sentence reduced to between three and six years by the New York Supreme Court’s Appellate Division this week.
The court acknowledged Mitchell was trying to buy “basic human necessities” before his arrest.
COMMENT:-
Well, I suppose that one way of looking at this is that Mr. Mitchell doesn't have to worry about food, clothes, medical care, unemployment, or housing for the next few years.
PS - A true cynic would also note that it would actually be cheaper just to provide him with a monthly income of $2,000 than it is to toss him in jail.
PPS - You have to be pretty thick not to realize that the fake money you are trying to pass is not very good when people won't take it.
Homeless man who tried to buy food and toothpaste with fake $20 note jailed for six years
A homeless man who tried to use a counterfeit $20 bill to buy food and toothpaste has been sentenced to up to six years in prison.
Levi Mitchell, 53, was found guilty of “criminal possession of a forged instrument” after attempting to use the fake bill at a pharmacy in New York City and again at a nearby restaurant.
Cashiers at both establishments rejected the homeless man’s note, before police officers later found him in possession of five counterfeit $20 bills, each worth around £15.
Mitchell was initially sentenced to up to eight years in prison following the March 2015 offence, but he had his sentence reduced to between three and six years by the New York Supreme Court’s Appellate Division this week.
The court acknowledged Mitchell was trying to buy “basic human necessities” before his arrest.
COMMENT:-
Well, I suppose that one way of looking at this is that Mr. Mitchell doesn't have to worry about food, clothes, medical care, unemployment, or housing for the next few years.
PS - A true cynic would also note that it would actually be cheaper just to provide him with a monthly income of $2,000 than it is to toss him in jail.
PPS - You have to be pretty thick not to realize that the fake money you are trying to pass is not very good when people won't take it.