Just how many loads of laundry could one do with $460,000 in stolen quarters?
That's probably not the question asked by public works inspector Thomas Rica, who pleaded guilty this week to stealing that much in quarters from the meter collection room of the New Jersey town for which he worked.
“We’re dealing with the theft of quarters over a period of a couple of years,” assistant prosecutor Daniel Keitel told the court on Wednesday. “It’s difficult to calculate exactly how many quarters were stolen when you’re dealing with millions of quarters over a few years.”
In case you're wondering, that's a few loads short of 2 million quarters, to be less than exact.
Rica was caught stealing $500 worth of coins back in January of 2013 and lost his job for it but when his former employer dug deeper, they realized they had a serial thief and possible Coinstar fan on their hands.
His lawyer says it was "just temptation" that comes with the territory when you have access to a room full of money.
Man steals $460,000 from town — in quarters [New York Post]
