AN AMERICAN MAN robbed a bank and deliberately stole a mere $1 bill – so that he could be arrested and taken to jail, where he would receive free medical care.

James Verone, a former truck driver who reports an undiagnosed growth on his chest, calmly walked into the bank in Gastonia, North Carolina last week and handed the clerk a note demanding a single $1 note.

Verone was promptly arrested and brought to jail – where he has spent the last week receiving medical attention.

“I didn’t have any fears,” Verone told the Gaston Gazette newspaper. “I told the teller that I would sit over here and wait for police.”

In a later interview with a local NBC station, Verone described himself as a “logical-type person” who acknowledged that he was manipulating the legal system to his own gain.

In the days before his crime, he posted a letter to a local newspaper – explaining that he was “of sound mind but not so much sound body”.

He had hoped to receive a three-year jail sentence for his actions, so that he would be eligible for social security by the time he was released – but that plan may not come to fruition, as his $1 robbery does not qualify as a full crime.

Instead, the $1 theft would be charged only as a larceny – meaning he could be released relatively soon – but he has promised to repeat the crime and receive further jail time to ensure he can get the medical attention he needs.

Aside from the worrying growth on his chest, Verone also has arthritis, a problem with one foot, and two ruptured disks in his back – the latter injury forcing him to quit his last job as a delivery man.

He will find out how long he will spend in jail when he returns to a local court next Tuesday.