NJ town official admits stealing $460,000, in QUARTERS

[Enrique]

There are coin collectors, and then there’s Thomas Rica.

While the true hobbyist seeks quality coinage, Rica was more interested in quantity — amassing 1.8 million individual quarters.

Thomas Rica in court Wednesday.
MITSU YASUKAWA\STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Thomas Rica in court Wednesday.
Unfortunately, he acquired them illegally.

Rica — once employed as Ridgewood’s public works inspector — quite literally pocketed himself a small fortune over 25 months before his arrest last year.

All told, the 43-year-old Hawthorne resident admitted on Wednesday that he had stolen at least $460,600 from Ridgewood’s coin-collection room.

- See more at: http://www.northjersey.com/news/ex-ridgewood-inspector-admits-to-stealing-460-000-in-quarters-from-village-video-1.745520#sthash.5WALe1pM.dpuf

[JHB]

1. "And my pants go jingle-jangle-jingle..."

Let's see: 25 months, or 2 years+1month =~760 days.

460,000/760 = 605 (and change, ba-dump-chhhh </rimshot&gt

Averaged $605 a day for over 2 years. In quarters.

[sir pball]

4. At 5.67 grams per coin..

That's thirty pounds a day. Not impossible, but that would be a pretty saggy, jingly bag.

Of course, you're going with 7 days a week...guy probably only worked 5: 25mo*20 days/mo = 500 days, divide it out and we get $920 a day, or 46 pounds a day. I think a load that heavy would rip the handle off a briefcase or the straps off a regular satchel/backpack...was homedude toting around a frame pack or something?

[JHB]

5. The article at the link spoke of him taking $500 at a time...

...so I just roughed out the logistics and saw that by even the mist generous measure, $500 would have been a slow day for him.

My guess would be that he went in at times when people wouldn't be around, and took thousands at a time in multiple trips. Do that two or three times a week and he'd hit the $over 4000/week he'd need to get to $460,600 in that amount of time.

[sir pball]

6. Yeah, it would pretty much have to be that way

He wasn't even supposed to be in the coin room in the first place, so it wouldn't matter if he had a large bag...even $500 still weighs 25 pounds or so.

Reminds me of the stories I used to hear about subway booth operators wheeling hand trucks of tokens out, back when they were a thing.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

2. Caught when he tried to dump them in a Coinstar machine.

[unblock]

3. the first $460,000, they never would have noticed. but he had to grab another $600.

they always get greedy.

[hunter]

7. Years ago I remember a story about some guys who were counterfeiting quarters.

It was totally

So much effort, expense, and risk for so little gain.

People tend to notice when you pay for everything in quarters, or you are the guy who's always pouring money into the coin machines.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

8. "If they're not stealing a little, they're stealing a lot"