Bruce Windsor, a former deacon and family man from South Carolina, allegedly resorted to bank robbery in the face of rising financial difficulties, reports the AP. Alarmingly, Windsor’s case may simply be a reflection of an ongoing trend of rising violence and crime during the recession, too.

His family had difficulty comprehending his long fall: “This is something Bruce has never done,” his sister Lisa Weaver told a judge in the case, “The only thing I can think of is he must’ve just snapped under the pressure. … I can’t imagine the desperation that must have caused this.” Windsor may have indeed been under intense financial pressure, the story noted, as he was a real estate investor whose troubles predated and continued through the recession.

Regardless, he allegedly decided to put on a wig, sunglasses, and a mask, and attempted to rob a bank at gunpoint. He got caught by police during the attempt, and apparently no one was injured, but as noted, the crime left everyone wondering why he would do such a thing.

Unfortunately for Windsor and the rest (if the allegations are true), the law makes no excuse for poverty or difficult circumstances and bank robbery (particularly if armed) carries hefty penalties. Sentencing judges do have some discretion as to the length of sentences they impose, as well as the amount of consideration they give to a defendant’s circumstances and past. However, as granny robber Barbara Joly found out, that may only get a sympathetic individual so far, as she was sentenced this past February to nine years of prison time.

  • AP: SC man is latest accused recession bank robber (Yahoo! News)
  • The Southern: Bank bust nabs cop
  • WALB: South Georgia minister is bank robbery suspect
  • WKRG: “Granny Robber” Headed To Prison
  • Henry Ford Community College in Michigan Site of Latest School Shooting, Murder-Suicide: Fueled by Recession? (FindLaw’s Blotter)
  • N.Y. Times: Court Upholds 10-Year Penalty for Robber’s Flub
  • Criminal Law Overview (provided by the Salvatore C. Miglore & Assoc., PC)
  • Criminal Law Center (FindLaw)

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