Teen gets prison time for 7 cent robbery

Prison for pennies

A teenager in Syracuse, New York, is facing up to six years in prison after being convicted of a robbery that netted him only seven cents in change.

Anthony Stewart, 15, was charged with robbing a 73-year-old man in December of last year. In the process of the robbery, Stewart beat and kicked the man and displayed a gun (which was later discovered to have been a BB gun) before finding out the only cash the man had was loose change, according to CBS News.

Stewart decided to fight the charge of first-degree robbery, claiming he was not involved in the crime. The robbery victim, however, identified Stewart as one of the perpetrators. He was later found guilty.

Because of the nature of the crime, Onondaga County Judge William Walsh treated Stewart as an adult offender, and the felony conviction will remain on his record. If he had pleaded guilty, he likely would have been considered a “youthful offender,” and the felony would have been removed.

Walsh had treated Stewart’s accomplice, Skyler Ninham, 16, as a youthful offender because Ninham accepted the guilty plea. Ninham faces up to four years in prison.

Stewart’s defense attorney, Laurin Haddad, reportedly said that she was “disappointed” that Stewart will be branded “a felon for the rest of his life” over seven cents.