Johanna Rae Taylor could’ve received a decade-long prison sentence, but this 19-year-old is perhaps America’s luckiest thief.
Over the course of five months, Taylor — a former Best Buy cashier in Grand Rapids, Michigan — ordered $35,000 worth of Best Buy appliances and electronics online, then used her computer skills at work to change the amount she paid for these items to $0. She did this more than 80 times, ultimately pleading guilty to the charges, Mlive.com reports.
Plus, she stole $561 in store gift cards and $3,644 in cash the old-fashioned way — summing up to a grand total of $39,654. (I mean, what does a 19-year-old even do with that much money?)
Convicted of embezzling from her employer, Taylor wouldn’t have gotten out of prison until she was almost 30…but the judge took pity on her, calling the teenager “one of the least likely criminal types” that he’s seen, adding, “You don’t seem generally disposed toward criminal conduct.”
So instead of 10 years behind bars, the judge only gave her 200 hours of community service over the next three months, plus a reduced (but still huge) $24,769 in restitution. Oh yeah, she also has to return $12,000 worth of unopened “purchases.”
And because Taylor is a first time offender under the age of 21, the Holmes Youthful Trainee Act can keep a felony conviction off her permanent record (she won’t have to reveal any of this info on her future job applications) as long as she complies with the court’s stipulations. “I know what I did was wrong and downright stupid,” she said in court between tears.
What do you think? Is she getting off easy, or does the punishment fit the crime? Let us know in the comments below!
Fun Fact: Last October, before this whole mess started, Taylor was awarded Best Buy’s “gold star achievement,” whatever that means. -_-
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