[Nfbf-l] {Disarmed} Blind Man who Stole from Vets Avoids Jail fromTampa Tribune

[Judith Hamilton]

This is so shocking and sad. Had no idea.Judy




> [Original Message]
> From: Lenora J. Marten <bluegolfshoes at aol.com>
> To: <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
> Date: 9/6/2012 4:50:39 PM
> Subject: [Nfbf-l] {Disarmed} Blind Man who Stole from Vets Avoids Jail
fromTampa Tribune
>
> 

This article from the Tampa Tribune just came out today and I've already
had a few phone calls concerning the article 
and was asked to post it to the list.
You'll find a copy / paste of the article below. If you prefer to google
the article, go to
http://www2.tbo.com/news/news/2012/sep/06/namaino1-blind-man-who-stole-from-
vets-avoids-jail-ar-484543/




Lenora
Blind man who stole from vets avoids jail






By ELAINE SILVESTRINI | The Tampa Tribune 
Published: September 06, 2012
» 0 Comments | Post a Comment

TAMPA --
Eight days after he started working at a clinic for blinded veterans,
Richard Brown started stealing from it.
Blind himself and with both legs amputated below the knee, Brown "was an
expert at making people trust him," his former boss, Nancy Kirk, told a
judge Wednesday during a sentencing hearing in federal court.
"Fellow employees trusted him," Kirk said. "He used that trust to steal
from veterans by stealing their low-vision aids and selling them."
Brown was paid more than $78,000 a year as a coordinator helping blind
veterans in the eye clinic at James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital. And in two
years, he stole more than $88,000 worth of equipment, such as iPads and
iPhones, selling them at discounted prices to friends and relatives and on
eBay.
Brown's attorney, public defender Adam Allen, asked U.S. District Judge
Steven D. Merryday to give Brown probation — not the 10 months in prison
a prosecutor recommended — because of his extensive medical problems, his
lack of a criminal history and his intention to repay what he stole.
Allen said Brown was paying off debts. But Kirk said Brown bragged to
coworkers about purchasing "big-ticket items like a big-screen TV, a new
car and new furniture."
This was not, she said, "a mistake by someone experiencing financial
problems. This is a pattern of behavior that is not likely to change."
Brown, she said, "spoke constantly of his dedication to the veterans and
how hard he worked to help them. He was the first to tell me when he felt a
co-worker was not doing their best for veterans."
Allen told Merryday that Brown is deeply remorseful and determined to repay
the government. His actions have strained his marriage — his wife also is
blind — and his relationship with his military family. Although Brown is
not a veteran, Brown's father served 29 years in the Air Force and his two
brothers also served, Allen said.
"He's let them down," Allen said. "He let his wife down; he let his
brother's down."
"Don't forget the country," Merryday said.
"He let the country down," Allen agreed.
Brown, 48, of Brandon, lost his vision and his legs because of Type 1
diabetes, which also cost him a kidney and his pancreas. He may be on the
verge of organ failure again, Allen said.
He also has heart problems and had quadruple bypass surgery in 1998. Allen
said Brown takes 13 medications a day, including one drug that's not
available in federal prisons.
"I know what I've done, like he said, has hurt me and my family," Brown
told the judge. "I hurt myself. I want to pay back everything that I can
pay back. … I want to show society that I wasn't the person that
committed that crime. That's not me."
While she did not take a position on whether Brown should be imprisoned,
Kirk, his former boss, told Merryday she wanted to make sure Brown is never
again in a position to steal. He should not ever "be placed in a position
of trust with any organization," she said.
"Mr. Brown's visual impairment was not a problem when I hired him," Kirk
said.
"He had the ability to perform his work at a very high level. His
evaluations were always outstanding, and I recommended him for a $1,000
performance award for his work with the veterans. His abilities were in no
way marginal. His visual impairment should not be used now as a reason to
make him less responsible."
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Sweeney didn't dispute Brown's medical
problems are severe. But she said the prison system is equipped to treat
him.
The judge said that Brown had insulted "the dignity of not only the
veterans, but the country and the office that he took."
"There is a sense that what he deserves and what is sensible to give him
are probably two different things," Merryday continued. "This offense is
especially bothersome. … He should have had a special affinity for the
persons he was serving."
Brown's medical condition is "not a license to steal," Merryday said. "It's
not a license to go in and recklessly rip off the taxpayers and, not only
the government, but people in need."
Merryday said he's skeptical Brown is remorseful, and may just be sorry he
was caught.
But in the end, the judge granted Allen's request and sentenced Brown to
five years of probation. In addition to paying restitution, Brown must
serve eight months of home detention.
The judge urged Brown to comply with all restrictions while he is on
probation, warning him that if he steps over the line, he will go to
prison. "If you don't think you will go to jail, go to prison, if you
violate the terms of this supervised release," the judge said, "try me."


esilvestrini at tampatrib.com (813) 259-7837 Twitter: @ElaineTrib



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