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Subscribe to RSSA former Georgia police officer told a court that he robbed a bank last year so that he could get health care while in a federal prison.
Edward Pascucci told U.S. District Court Judge Clay D. Land on Thursday that he was facing “severe health problems” and homelessness when he decided to rob the Citizens Trust Bank in Columbus, Ga., last August, according to the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer.
“I didn’t want to be homeless,” Pascucci said, according to the paper. “I should not have manipulated the justice system, but I couldn’t think of any other way to get help.”
The FBI said Pascucci, 54, walked out of the bank with more than $1,000, ABC station WTVM-TV of Columbus, Ga., reported. He had been jobless for more than a year when the crime occurred.
According to WTVM, FBI agents said Pascucci walked into the Citizens Trust Bank with a .357-caliber revolver on Aug. 3 and demanded money. The gun reportedly was not loaded.
Investigators said a security guard stopped Pascucci after he walked out of the bank and held him until a Columbus police officer could arrest him.
Pascucci, who served as a Columbus policeman for 15 years, got his wish -- he was sentenced to five years and three months in prison. In keeping with the terms of a plea agreement, he also was ordered to serve three years of supervised release. He was given credit for time served awaiting sentencing.
According to the Ledger-Enquirer, Pascucci served in the Marines, Army and Army Reserve before becoming a police officer in 1989.
The newspaper reported that Pascucci had a troubled employment history with the police department that prompted a psychologist in 2002 to recommend he no longer serve on the force. He transferred to animal control that year, according to the Ledger-Enquirer, but resigned in March 2006 in lieu of an appeal for unprofessional conduct.
Described by the Ledger-Enquirer as being shackled and dressed in a yellow jumpsuit with the word “federal” emblazoned on it, Pascucci apologized to the employees of the Citizens Trust Bank, to his former colleagues at the Columbus Police Department and to the “community at large.”
“I had no funds whatsoever left to live on,” he said. “I did this foolish thing hoping I’d get some kind of care.”
On Aug. 3, he walked into the bank about 11 a.m. and presented a note to the teller that read, “This is a stick up, hand over the money,” according to court documents.
The teller gave him $1,040, prosecutors said, and Pascucci walked out of the bank.
Pascucci, the Ledger-Enquirer reported, told authorities he removed the bullets from his gun before entering the bank. Officials later recovered those bullets during a search of Pascucci’s car.
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And Republicans say that their is no crisis for health care.........
Liberal: See, this is why we should have universal health care, it would prevent crimes of desperation like this.
Conservative: See, this is why we shouldn't offer health care to prisoners. Prison should be a punishment, not a reward.
A sad state of affairs. It's unfortunate that as a Vet he didn't know he had medical coverage thru the VA.
But whatever, somehow we need to figure out how to help those that really want to be helped instead of helping all.
The system is too big and so full of errors, intentional or not, it isn't working.
HELLO!!!! REALITY CHECK!!!! In theory, veterans have medical coverage through the VA but in practice for anything not related to active duty service, it amounts to absolutely nothing. Veterans injured on active duty or with service related disabilities take priority over everyone else in a VA hospital. It's impossible for a veteran who has a non-service related condition or disease, even a life threatening one, to get high enough on the priority list to ever get any kind of medical care whatsoever. There aren't enough resources available. Furthermore, one has to live near enough to a VA hospital to get care. For all of VISN 6 which is North Carolina, Virginia and part of West Virginia, there are eight medical centers -- one in West Virginia, four in North Carolina and three in Virginia. In North Carolina, three are within 50 miles of each other in the center of the state. The fourth is in Asheville. Anyone east of the center of the state has a three hour drive to one of them. In other states, the distances are even worse.
The article did not say what health problems he needed treatment for. Based on his job history from the article he has not been behaving rationally for some time. If he had stopped into a hosptial and explained to a doctor that he was planning to rob a bank because of all his problems, perhaps the hospital could have admitted him as a mental patient and put him on the public heathcare program in Georgia.
I am surprised this isn't happening more often, unless it just goes unreported.
Just couldn't wait to get that government-run health care, could you?
This may be the "new normal" if things don't get better.
Was it really worth the $1,040?
He robbed the bank with the intention of getting healthcare in prison, not for the $1040.
You want to know the funny thing about this? I worked in the prison system for 7 years, and inmates due to be released soon would purposely do something to extend their sentence so that they could continue to be fed, clothed, get FREE medical and FREE satellite TV and FREE education up to a Masters Degree. Heck, they do not even have to work if they don't want to! Your tax dollars at work!
I guess this guy knew about all this before he pulled his little stunt.
Sooo, I'm coming away from this article wondering if the health care provided to federal prison inmates is better than the V.A. This guy is an idiot - at least he could have gotten health care provided by the V.A., others that are in his former situation that were not veterans, don't even have that and most of them aren't robbing banks.
...and you still think it couldn't happen to you.
People are desperate. With high unemployment, unfortunately desperate people will turn to crime. I am afraid it will only get worse.