21Sep

Stupid Kid

My first wife and I got married in the early 60’s and thought that $100.00 a week, with her still in high school was a lot of money. It was ok, but not the lifestyle she wanted. Over the years, I started kiting checks that grew into defrauding banks and then on to forgery, to keep her happy and to give her the lifestyle she wanted.

We went to the DC area where I was caught and tried for forgery, and sentenced to 10 years in prison, with 7 suspended. Had a divorce lawyer for a council who didn’t say anything but, “plead guilty, they have everything.”

Went to federal court and the judge admonished the defense attorney for trying to basically blow smoke and he found that while doing the forgeries, I had written checks on out of state banks, thereby causing the interstate transportation of fraudulent securities. He said that I needed some time to clean up my act and sentenced me to another 10 years in federal prison with 9 years suspended. He actually did me a favor.

During all this I have numerous misdemeanor convictions for simple bad checks.

I did my time, left the state, moved to NC, got a good job, married my wife of 42 years, became a master craftsman, and now own a successful plumbing company. No one knows this except my wife, and I need to clean up my record before someone finds all this out and ruins my grandkids idea that their grandpa can do no wrong.

I am 72 years old and have only made a couple of transgressions toward the old life, but in the last 34 years, all the legal problems I have had are a lead foot, and speeding tickets.