THAT'S A CRIME? - Part II

Let's start off our follow-up blog on crime as we did with the first.

Recently, reported statistics for housing federal prisoners:

2000 - $21,603     2012- $29,027

Chicago, Illinois: After spending most of his adult life behind bars, Walter Unbehaun 73, allegedly decided to rob another bank in hopes of getting caught.

He felt more comfortable in prison, according to court documents, and wanted to spend his final years there.

The balding, gray-haired man (whose bank camera picture that accompanied the article appeared to confirm his age and verified his lack of time spent in a tanning booth) leaned on a cane as he walked into a bank in suburban Chicago over the weekend.

He used a novel stickup line, according to a federal complaint citing his post-arrest interrogation: He had six months to live, so he had nothing left to lose.

Unebehaun allegedly lifted his coat to show a (bank) teller a silver revolver shoved into his waistband.

Unebehaun, of Rock Hill , S.C. on Saturday walked out of Harris Bank in Niles on Saturday with $4,178 in his pockets, according to court documents.

He wore no disguise, so law enforcement officials, quickly tracked him down, using surveillance-camera photos of him holding up the bank, the complaint said.

When authorities stopped Unbehaun on Sunday outside a motel room where he was staying, he immediately threw down his cane and surrendered, saying he knew they were there because he robbed a bank the day before.

Uberhaun told investigators hours after his arrest that he had spent most of his adult life in prison and "felt more comfortable in prison than out."

"He wanted to do something that would guarantee that he would spend the rest of his life in prison and he knew that robbing a bank with a loaded gun would accomplish that", according to the complaint, signed by FBI agent Chad Piontek.

Uberhaun's defense attorney declined to comment on Tuesday.

Uberhaun's most recent stint behind bars ended in "2011" when he was released after serving 10 years for a bank robbery in "1998."

Ubberhaun made an initial court appearance Monday in Chicago and was ordered "to remain in jail" pending further court procedures.

No additional hearing dates were sent.

If he is convicted on the new bank robbery charge, he could be sent to prison for up to 20 years.

That is assuming somebody in a position of authority declares:

"That's A Crime!"

After all, this was much more serious than a Ponzi scheme that cheats people out of millions - where you might be able to stay out of jail simply by returning the money and paying a fine.

If you were lucky you might even be able to avoid making an apology - unlike that guy in Utah who was shooting at a guy on his property who was a suspected burglar.

(Source material taken from USA Today - State-By-State - Associated Press -
Wednesday February 12, 2012)