A 59-year-old man is charged with larceny after demanding no more than $1 during a RBC bank robbery in Gastonia, North Carolina.

Before taking a cab to the bank on June 9, James Richard Verone mailed the local newspaper, The Gaston Gazette, a note reading, "When you receive this a bank robbery will have been committed by me. This robbery is being committed by me for one dollar...I am of sound mind but not so much sound body."

Verone explained to the Gazette that he was in need of medical attention and determined that prison was his best resort.

After losing his job as a Coca-Cola delivery man, which he had held for 17 years, Verone became a convenience store clerk.

He suffers from several ailments including a growth on his chest, two ruptured discs in his back and a problem with his left foot.

With no medical insurance, the North Carolina resident could no longer depend on food stamps, the only aid for which he was eligible.

"The pain was beyond the tolerance that I could accept," Verone told the Gazette.

He notified reporters that if his penalty was not great enough, he would commit the crime again.

In an interview last week with local news station WCNC, Verone explained that he hoped to serve at least three years in jail and be released in time to collect Social Security and live near the beach.

While in prison he would get back and foot surgery and a diagnosis and treatment for the growth on his chest.

"I didn't have any fears," Verone told reporters. "I told the teller that I would sit over here and wait for police."

After police arrested Verone, the teller was taken to the hospital because she was so shaken up with fright.

Verone's bond was reduced from $100,000 to $2,000, but he doesn't plan to pay. He is being held in Gaston County Jail, where he has already been seen by several nurses and is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.