Back in 2009, the city of Pittsburgh paid $250,000 for 250 elegant iron trash cans weighing more than 200 pounds each. Critics of the mayor called it a waste of city funds at the time, but they are very nice-looking. Now 20% of them are missing, and it took police and the public works department four months to figure out where they’ve gone. They were hauled off and sold for scrap. Update: Theft Of Pittsburgh’s Iron Trash Cans Allegedly An Inside Job [More]
crime pays
Industrious Homeless Man Breaks Into Shuttered Bar To Start Selling Booze
By 7.22.10
It’s like something out of a whacky comedy movie — Homeless man breaks into bar that recently shut down, decides to pretend he’s the new owner and starts selling drinks. But this wasn’t some laugher starring the hilarious Steve Guttenberg; it’s exactly what authorities in a small Northern California town have arrested a man for doing. [More]
Bank Of America Says I Stole $11,000 From Myself, Gambled It Away
By 6.23.10
Reader M. has a sad and frightening cautionary tale for us all. He’s unemployed, and his debit card was stolen. Now he’s been accused of stealing more than $11,000 from himself and gambling it away at casinos. Bank of America has finished its investigation, and concluded that M. is responsible for the withdrawals, and now must pay back the $11,000 he didn’t spend. At the 20% APR charged for cash advances, naturally. [More]
