San Diego Criminal News

With the recession in full swing, a growing number of people have been finding themselves in desperate situations. As a result, many of these ordinary people have been turning to crimes they never would have imagined performing only a few years ago. One example of this phenomenon is the increasing number of people in Texas who have turned to setting their cars on fire to collect the insurance money and pay off the mountain of debt incurred through the vehicle purchase.

Another example is Michael Casey Wilson, an elderly San Diegian who claims he robbed a local Bank of America branch only so he and his wife, 73, could avoid foreclosure. Wilson says he needed to pay $50,000 in order to pay the mortgage and keep himself and his wife off the streets. He was able to obtain $100,000 in the robbery, but was arrested only a few blocks away while sitting on the porch of a local home, apparently exhausted.

“I’ve never done a bad thing in my life,” Wilson told a television reporter. “But you get desperate; I guess you throw all that … out the window.”

While this sympathetic excuse will not help Wilson avoid punishment, it may very well help his San Diego criminal attorney obtain minimal sentencing in the courts. His medical conditions, including sleep apenia, severe arthritis and heart problems, may also keep him out of prison and under clinical care.

To read more about Wilson’s sad story, see the article on the LA Times Blog. Image Via Alberto Veiga [Flickr]