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

Fri Sep 7 18:30:23 UTC 2012

It's called arrogance and greed!

Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 7, 2012, at 11:37 AM, "Sherri" <flmom2006 at gmail.com> wrote:

> I just don't understand why and I feel so sorry for Laurel.
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: Judith Hamilton
> To: NFB of Florida Internet Mailing List
> Sent: Thursday, September 06, 2012 5:43 PM
> Subject: Re: [Nfbf-l] {Disarmed} Blind Man who Stole from Vets Avoids 
> JailfromTampa Tribune
> 
> 
> 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
> Â» 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 â?" not the 10 months in prison
> a prosecutor recommended â?" 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 â?" his wife also is
> blind â?" 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. â?¦ 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. â?¦ 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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