• (1) John Haskew, who told investigators that he was "self-taught on the banking industry," evidently thought he might succeed making bogus wire transfers to himself from a large (unidentified) national bank, in the amount of $7 billion. He pleaded guilty in February in Lakeland, Florida. (He said he thought he "deserved" the money.) (2) Katherine Kempson, 49, deciding to pay "cash" for a $1.2 million home, forged (according to York County, Pennsylvania, deputies) a "proof of funds" letter from the Members 1st credit union. Home sales are, of course, highly regulated formalities, and several attempted "closings" were halted when her money kept not showing up. One deputy told a reporter, "I'm guessing that she probably didn't think it through." [WFTV (Orlando), 2-3-2017] [York Daily Record, 2-3-2017]
• The highest bail amount ever ordered in America -- $4 billion for murder suspect Antonio Willis -- was briefly in play in Killeen, Texas, in February, set by Bell County's elected Justice of the Peace Claudia Brown. Bail was reduced 10 days later to $150,000 by a district court judge, prompting Brown to acknowledge that she set the "$4 billion" to call attention to Texas' lack of bail standards, which especially punishes indigent arrestees with little hope of raising even modest amounts when accused of minor crimes. [Fox News, 2-13-2017]
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