Why shouldn't a bank robbery without threats be legal?











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So say a bank robber walks into a bank and hands the teller a note saying simply "please give me $1,000" (or maybe even just verbally saying "I need $1,000 please") and if the teller accepts, which they probably would because they're supposed to comply with the robber, he takes the money, otherwise if they refuse, he leaves.



How is this different than say people asking for charity donations in the street? He just politely requested money without making any threats.










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  • 32




    Who said that is not legal? Robbery without threats is no robbery. By definition, robbery includes violence, intimidation or the threat of force. The teller doesn't need to comply because a person saying "I need $1,000 please" is not a robber unless they threaten.
    – Greendrake
    Nov 17 at 22:05








  • 43




    The teller thought it was a threat, or wouldn't have given you the money.
    – gnasher729
    Nov 17 at 22:11






  • 12




    @gnasher729 I guess tellers need some objective reason to think that they're being threatened vs asked. Otherwise any silly beggar popped in a bank would be charged with robbery. At the end of the day, "I need $1,000 please" could mean an account holder wishing to withdraw cash.
    – Greendrake
    Nov 17 at 22:31








  • 29




    @Greendrake: if you tell the cashier to give you $1,000 and the cashier does not feel threatened, he will simply say "no".
    – Martin Argerami
    Nov 18 at 5:49






  • 14




    @MartinArgerami Actually rather than say no the cashier will probably just ask for your chip card or whatever means of identification the bank otherwise use for their customers.
    – kasperd
    2 days ago















up vote
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So say a bank robber walks into a bank and hands the teller a note saying simply "please give me $1,000" (or maybe even just verbally saying "I need $1,000 please") and if the teller accepts, which they probably would because they're supposed to comply with the robber, he takes the money, otherwise if they refuse, he leaves.



How is this different than say people asking for charity donations in the street? He just politely requested money without making any threats.










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  • 32




    Who said that is not legal? Robbery without threats is no robbery. By definition, robbery includes violence, intimidation or the threat of force. The teller doesn't need to comply because a person saying "I need $1,000 please" is not a robber unless they threaten.
    – Greendrake
    Nov 17 at 22:05








  • 43




    The teller thought it was a threat, or wouldn't have given you the money.
    – gnasher729
    Nov 17 at 22:11






  • 12




    @gnasher729 I guess tellers need some objective reason to think that they're being threatened vs asked. Otherwise any silly beggar popped in a bank would be charged with robbery. At the end of the day, "I need $1,000 please" could mean an account holder wishing to withdraw cash.
    – Greendrake
    Nov 17 at 22:31








  • 29




    @Greendrake: if you tell the cashier to give you $1,000 and the cashier does not feel threatened, he will simply say "no".
    – Martin Argerami
    Nov 18 at 5:49






  • 14




    @MartinArgerami Actually rather than say no the cashier will probably just ask for your chip card or whatever means of identification the bank otherwise use for their customers.
    – kasperd
    2 days ago













up vote
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So say a bank robber walks into a bank and hands the teller a note saying simply "please give me $1,000" (or maybe even just verbally saying "I need $1,000 please") and if the teller accepts, which they probably would because they're supposed to comply with the robber, he takes the money, otherwise if they refuse, he leaves.



How is this different than say people asking for charity donations in the street? He just politely requested money without making any threats.










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So say a bank robber walks into a bank and hands the teller a note saying simply "please give me $1,000" (or maybe even just verbally saying "I need $1,000 please") and if the teller accepts, which they probably would because they're supposed to comply with the robber, he takes the money, otherwise if they refuse, he leaves.



How is this different than say people asking for charity donations in the street? He just politely requested money without making any threats.







criminal-law theft






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edited 11 hours ago









feetwet

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asked Nov 17 at 20:40









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  • 32




    Who said that is not legal? Robbery without threats is no robbery. By definition, robbery includes violence, intimidation or the threat of force. The teller doesn't need to comply because a person saying "I need $1,000 please" is not a robber unless they threaten.
    – Greendrake
    Nov 17 at 22:05








  • 43




    The teller thought it was a threat, or wouldn't have given you the money.
    – gnasher729
    Nov 17 at 22:11






  • 12




    @gnasher729 I guess tellers need some objective reason to think that they're being threatened vs asked. Otherwise any silly beggar popped in a bank would be charged with robbery. At the end of the day, "I need $1,000 please" could mean an account holder wishing to withdraw cash.
    – Greendrake
    Nov 17 at 22:31








  • 29




    @Greendrake: if you tell the cashier to give you $1,000 and the cashier does not feel threatened, he will simply say "no".
    – Martin Argerami
    Nov 18 at 5:49






  • 14




    @MartinArgerami Actually rather than say no the cashier will probably just ask for your chip card or whatever means of identification the bank otherwise use for their customers.
    – kasperd
    2 days ago














  • 32




    Who said that is not legal? Robbery without threats is no robbery. By definition, robbery includes violence, intimidation or the threat of force. The teller doesn't need to comply because a person saying "I need $1,000 please" is not a robber unless they threaten.
    – Greendrake
    Nov 17 at 22:05








  • 43




    The teller thought it was a threat, or wouldn't have given you the money.
    – gnasher729
    Nov 17 at 22:11






  • 12




    @gnasher729 I guess tellers need some objective reason to think that they're being threatened vs asked. Otherwise any silly beggar popped in a bank would be charged with robbery. At the end of the day, "I need $1,000 please" could mean an account holder wishing to withdraw cash.
    – Greendrake
    Nov 17 at 22:31








  • 29




    @Greendrake: if you tell the cashier to give you $1,000 and the cashier does not feel threatened, he will simply say "no".
    – Martin Argerami
    Nov 18 at 5:49






  • 14




    @MartinArgerami Actually rather than say no the cashier will probably just ask for your chip card or whatever means of identification the bank otherwise use for their customers.
    – kasperd
    2 days ago








32




32




Who said that is not legal? Robbery without threats is no robbery. By definition, robbery includes violence, intimidation or the threat of force. The teller doesn't need to comply because a person saying "I need $1,000 please" is not a robber unless they threaten.
– Greendrake
Nov 17 at 22:05






Who said that is not legal? Robbery without threats is no robbery. By definition, robbery includes violence, intimidation or the threat of force. The teller doesn't need to comply because a person saying "I need $1,000 please" is not a robber unless they threaten.
– Greendrake
Nov 17 at 22:05






43




43




The teller thought it was a threat, or wouldn't have given you the money.
– gnasher729
Nov 17 at 22:11




The teller thought it was a threat, or wouldn't have given you the money.
– gnasher729
Nov 17 at 22:11




12




12




@gnasher729 I guess tellers need some objective reason to think that they're being threatened vs asked. Otherwise any silly beggar popped in a bank would be charged with robbery. At the end of the day, "I need $1,000 please" could mean an account holder wishing to withdraw cash.
– Greendrake
Nov 17 at 22:31






@gnasher729 I guess tellers need some objective reason to think that they're being threatened vs asked. Otherwise any silly beggar popped in a bank would be charged with robbery. At the end of the day, "I need $1,000 please" could mean an account holder wishing to withdraw cash.
– Greendrake
Nov 17 at 22:31






29




29




@Greendrake: if you tell the cashier to give you $1,000 and the cashier does not feel threatened, he will simply say "no".
– Martin Argerami
Nov 18 at 5:49




@Greendrake: if you tell the cashier to give you $1,000 and the cashier does not feel threatened, he will simply say "no".
– Martin Argerami
Nov 18 at 5:49




14




14




@MartinArgerami Actually rather than say no the cashier will probably just ask for your chip card or whatever means of identification the bank otherwise use for their customers.
– kasperd
2 days ago




@MartinArgerami Actually rather than say no the cashier will probably just ask for your chip card or whatever means of identification the bank otherwise use for their customers.
– kasperd
2 days ago










8 Answers
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As a concrete example, consider Missouri v. Coleman, where Coleman handed a teller a plastic bag and said "I need you to do me a favor. Put the money in this bag", and later as the manager approached, said "Ma'am, stop where you are and don't move any farther". Coleman was convicted of second degree robbery: but the appeals court found that he had not acted foribly, so his conviction was overturned. Instead, the court entered a conviction for the lesser offense of stealing which is when one




Appropriates property or services of another with the purpose to
deprive him or her thereof, either without his or her consent or by
means of deceit or coercion




The act may also be termed "theft", as in Washington state. The thief is acting deceptively and thereby gaining control over property.






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  • 14




    I think this answer includes the most important point: A court may rule it not being robbery - but it's still a crime: theft.
    – Falco
    yesterday






  • 19




    If my church says I need to tithe 10% of my income or go to hell, could I argue that it was stealing by means of deceit - requiring them to prove that their claims were truthful?
    – Rob P.
    yesterday






  • 9




    @RobP. IRS guidelines say that documents (for tax purposes etc) acknowledging donations to religious groups should say that "goods or services, if any, that the organization provided in return for the contribution consisted entirely of intangible religious benefits" if that's the case. My church does that for my tithes. You could argue that "not going to hell" is an intangible religious benefit, so there's no deception. Ask a new question if you have further questions.
    – Thunderforge
    yesterday








  • 6




    @RobP. First, it would be fraud, not robbery or theft, since they aren't threatening you with immediate violence or taking your stuff without asking, but informing you of a putative state of facts over which they claim to have no control to get you to hand them over voluntarily... Second, It's for the prosecutor to make the case: They must prove that the claim made by the hypothetical churchman was not only not truthful, but was known to be untruthful by the person who made it. If they believe it, it's not fraud.
    – Ben
    yesterday


















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Generally, the law would not just look at the robber's literal words, but at how a reasonable person would understand them in context. And it will assume that the robber meant them to be understood in that way. Here, a reasonable person would understand such a note to be a threat of violence, so the law will assume the robber meant it as a threat.



Likewise, a mob boss who tells his associates to "take Joe for a ride" will not be able to avoid prosecution by insisting that he only told them to provide him with a pleasant sightseeing tour.






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  • 4




    Mitchell and Webb did a sketch with a number of expressions similar to your "take Joe for a ride" example: youtube.com/watch?v=U6cake3bwnY
    – kasperd
    2 days ago






  • 1




    @kasperd Won't think of "light refreshments" the same way again
    – Xen2050
    2 days ago










  • Or, famously, "wouldn't want anything to happen to it"...
    – Peter A. Schneider
    yesterday












  • Related: the Derek Bentley case (also made into a Film, "Let Him Have It")
    – Chronocidal
    18 hours ago


















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How is this different than say people asking for charity donations in
the street?




Context is everything.



Obviously, someone asking for charity donations on the street will present themselves as a legal charity, like the Salvation Army, etc. If you meant "charity" in the sense of someone panhandling Panhandling | (Merriam-Webster), most if not all people will take the asking for $1000 as an absurd request and keep walking. It's possible that someone may take offense and the police may deem it an attempt at mugging or stealing, depending on jurisdiction, and see user6726's answer.



But to walk into a bank and ask for $1000, the context is completely different. That's because a bank is where the money is. You don't usually walk into a bank for anything other than a financial transaction, either a legal or an attempted illegal transaction. As the (apocryphal) saying goes, Willie Sutton (Wikipedia) robbed banks "Because that's where the money is".



So while it's possible that a polite bank robber trying to not be aggressive may get away with robbery under a lesser charge, anyone in a bank requesting an illegal withdrawal - by any means - is still a bank robber, and 99% of the time, I think a jury and judge will see that.






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  • "You don't usually walk into a bank for anything other than a financial transaction" - I find busking & begging far more effective in banks and by cash points. Doing these activities in the cash point however is much less effective.
    – UKMonkey
    yesterday


















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You can't have it both ways. Either the person used words or actions that, under the circumstances, caused the teller to reasonably fear that violence will occur if the money isn't given or they didn't. If the former, it's a threat. If the latter, the teller won't give them the money.



If their words caused the teller to give them money because the teller feared violence, and this was the intended result of their words and not totally unexpected, that's the definition of using a threat of force to obtain a thing of value.



The lack of use of force means, of course, that it's not a violent robbery. But if a reasonable teller feels threatened under the circumstances, it's a threat. If the teller doesn't, they won't give the person the money.






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  • 2




    @Greendrake Because it is a complex, fact-specific question whether those words would be a threat in the circumstances or not. But what is undeniable is that either they are or they aren't, and my answer covers both cases.
    – David Schwartz
    2 days ago






  • 5




    @Greendrake For example, suppose someone walks up to you on the street and says, "Please give me your wallet", and you do. Whether or not they committed theft doesn't depend on a complex analysis of the phrase "Please give me your wallet" but an analysis of the facts and circumstances under which they said it and whether that would make someone feel threatened. Was it dark? Was it late? Were they armed? Did they block your path? What tone of voice did they use? And so on. The words alone aren't what gets analyzed.
    – David Schwartz
    2 days ago








  • 4




    @Greendrake Whatever. Either it is a threat or it isn't. If it's a threat, then the robbery was accomplished by means of a threat. If it isn't a threat, then the person wouldn't feel threatened and wouldn't turn over money. You can't have it both ways -- if you pick words that cause the person to turn over the money because he fears what the robber might do, then you've taken funds by threat. If you don't, then you won't get any money. It's really not complicated.
    – David Schwartz
    2 days ago






  • 1




    That seems pretty clearly wrong. I don't know of any jurisdiction where guilt turns simply on the words you choose. If you have no intent to cause fear, but happen to be dealing with someone especially fearful, that doesn't by itself expose you to liability. If you try to cause fear but choose words that just happen to fail, you're still facing liability for an attempted robbery.
    – bdb484
    2 days ago








  • 2




    Whether the teller "feels threatened" (per your last paragraph) doesn't define whether or not there is a threat. It would need to be reasonable for them to feel threatened in the given scenario.
    – JBentley
    yesterday




















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Robbery is theft carried out through force or the threat of force. The most important part of your hypothetical is that you're saying the person asks for money without making a threat (and presumably without force).



If that is the case, the person is not a robber and the transaction is not a robbery. It is, like you said, the equivalent of a request for a charitable donation, and it is legal.






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  • Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.
    – feetwet
    11 hours ago


















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IMHO one factor which would be considered in some jurisdictions when deciding if a crime was committed in your scenario is that the cash in a cashier's drawer and in the bank vault is either the property of various depositors or else the property of the corporation that owns the bank, and thus of its shareholders, or possibly a mixture of the property of both.



The money acquired in your scenario is not the property of the cashier or of the bank manager. Thus the cashier and the bank manager don't have unlimited authority to hand out money like they would if it was their own money. Instead they are restricted to handing out money to those that it is their bank's policy to hand out money to, and in the amounts that it is their bank's policy.



Thus a person who makes bank employees pay him money he is not entitled to is making them steal money from its rightful owners. He is making them commit a crime. If person A tries to make person B commit a crime that person B wouldn't want to, and if person A succeeds in making person B commit that crime, person A should be considered to be equally guilty of the crime he makes person B commit, and he would be considered equally guilty inmost or all legal jurisdictions.



But what if the bank has a policy of giving the bank robber what he asks for and not making any trouble for him in hope that he leaves without harming any one? In that case the bank employees are following bank policy and doing as authorized. Therefore they are not stealing from the bank and the robber hasn't forced them to steal from the bank but has made a withdrawal that doesn't violate bank policy. So the bank robber shouldn't have committed any crimes, right?



Except that the nonviolent bank robber has let the bank employees think that he might be, and probably is, an evil, violent, homicidal bank robber. And thus he has acquired money from the bank by lying by omission about being a nonviolent bank robber, and thus by fraud, which is stealing. So the nonviolent bank robber is a criminal of a different type and might be given too options when arrested. He might testify that he is nonviolent and would never have hurt anyone, and thus be convicted of stealing by fraud, or else testify that he is violent and would have used force if opposed, and thus be convicted of using the threat of violence to commit bank robbery.



I suspect that any legal loophole that anyone can think of has been thought of before by criminals and lawmakers and has been closed by legistation and/or legal precedents in various trials.






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    Scenario in other words. Rob walks in a bank and asks Bob for $1000. Bob hands them to Rob and Rob walks away. No treats, no injuries.



    In the scenario propsed Rob is not a robber, he is not a sole person to commit a crime and the crime is not a robbery.



    Money are transferred from the bank to Rob on Rob's request without proper authorisation from the bank. That is theft.



    Bob actively transfer the money from the bank to Rob without proper authorisation. That is theft too.



    Both Bob and Rob commited theft, which is not a robbery, yet is still illegal.






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      The best way to rob a bank is to own one.



      Suppose the bank owner takes money from the bank, without violence or threats thereof.




      Why shouldn't a bank robbery without threats be legal?




      Because the person committing the illegal act is taking other people's property without their permission. It probably wouldn't be classed as a robbery, but it's still illegal.



      Why should it be illegal for someone to come into your house through an unlocked front door and take all your valuables while you're out? The logic is similar.



      In the classic film "It's a Wonderful Life," the central conflict comes from protagonist George Bailey misplacing depositor's money. He's in (potential) trouble for a (false but not disprovable) accusation of stealing from the bank's depositors. If you watch that film in the coming holiday season, notice how upset the townspeople are at learning that the money they thought they'd put in the bank for safekeeping might not really be all there or as accessible as they'd hoped. Notice the bank examiner's role, to check for potential issues like this.



      Would you be upset if you put money in the bank, and when you went to withdraw it, found that you couldn't do so because the money had been given to someone else who hadn't first deposited or otherwise legitimately "earned" the funds (e.g. through interest or a promotion)? A majority of people would, so they support laws that make this illegal.



      Notes: There are also other laws opposing that outcome, such as government-backed deposit insurance, but uses of this take money from the many to compensate for the private enrichment of the few who took those funds, so there is support for laws that attempt to hold those few accountable. Also, due to fractional reserve banking, most banks today don't have enough cash on hand to cover all the deposits, but they are supposed to have assets (like outstanding loans) to cover them.






      share|improve this answer























      • What? You don't seem to have a coherent point here. By the way if you put your money in a bank then for all practical purposes it's now the bank's money and all you have is a claim to it. (Not a lawyer, so what I just said probably isn't entirely accurate or precise). They go and spend your money to buy investments and stuff, and you don't complain about that. The $1000 being stolen comes out of the bank's profits, not out of your account.
        – immibis
        yesterday






      • 1




        @immibis If the bank's profits go negative far enough, it could be that some people arrive to withdraw and the bank doesn't have the money to cover it. If the bank goes bankrupt, depositors can lose money. That used to happen more often, but now in many countries the government insures depositors' funds up to some limit, and rich depositors can still lose deposits if the bank gambles away too much of that money.
        – WBT
        12 hours ago












      • That is correct, but it's not going to happen because of one robbery. It shouldn't even happen if everyone withdraws all their money - as long as they do it slowly. What the bank can't handle is having to give everyone all their cash all at once, which is called a bank run, because the bank can't just sell all their investments to get the cash back any time they want.
        – immibis
        11 hours ago












      • @immibis One taking or many added up, by a party in a privileged position within the bank, can be quite a large sum, considerably more than what an armed robber at one branch location might make off with. It can be enough so that even if the bank does sell all its investments, there's not enough left for the depositors. A market crash, which might be triggered by a large institution failing to act as expected, can make this scenario more likely as the investments aren't worth as much.
        – WBT
        10 hours ago












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      8 Answers
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      8 Answers
      8






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      As a concrete example, consider Missouri v. Coleman, where Coleman handed a teller a plastic bag and said "I need you to do me a favor. Put the money in this bag", and later as the manager approached, said "Ma'am, stop where you are and don't move any farther". Coleman was convicted of second degree robbery: but the appeals court found that he had not acted foribly, so his conviction was overturned. Instead, the court entered a conviction for the lesser offense of stealing which is when one




      Appropriates property or services of another with the purpose to
      deprive him or her thereof, either without his or her consent or by
      means of deceit or coercion




      The act may also be termed "theft", as in Washington state. The thief is acting deceptively and thereby gaining control over property.






      share|improve this answer

















      • 14




        I think this answer includes the most important point: A court may rule it not being robbery - but it's still a crime: theft.
        – Falco
        yesterday






      • 19




        If my church says I need to tithe 10% of my income or go to hell, could I argue that it was stealing by means of deceit - requiring them to prove that their claims were truthful?
        – Rob P.
        yesterday






      • 9




        @RobP. IRS guidelines say that documents (for tax purposes etc) acknowledging donations to religious groups should say that "goods or services, if any, that the organization provided in return for the contribution consisted entirely of intangible religious benefits" if that's the case. My church does that for my tithes. You could argue that "not going to hell" is an intangible religious benefit, so there's no deception. Ask a new question if you have further questions.
        – Thunderforge
        yesterday








      • 6




        @RobP. First, it would be fraud, not robbery or theft, since they aren't threatening you with immediate violence or taking your stuff without asking, but informing you of a putative state of facts over which they claim to have no control to get you to hand them over voluntarily... Second, It's for the prosecutor to make the case: They must prove that the claim made by the hypothetical churchman was not only not truthful, but was known to be untruthful by the person who made it. If they believe it, it's not fraud.
        – Ben
        yesterday















      up vote
      117
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      As a concrete example, consider Missouri v. Coleman, where Coleman handed a teller a plastic bag and said "I need you to do me a favor. Put the money in this bag", and later as the manager approached, said "Ma'am, stop where you are and don't move any farther". Coleman was convicted of second degree robbery: but the appeals court found that he had not acted foribly, so his conviction was overturned. Instead, the court entered a conviction for the lesser offense of stealing which is when one




      Appropriates property or services of another with the purpose to
      deprive him or her thereof, either without his or her consent or by
      means of deceit or coercion




      The act may also be termed "theft", as in Washington state. The thief is acting deceptively and thereby gaining control over property.






      share|improve this answer

















      • 14




        I think this answer includes the most important point: A court may rule it not being robbery - but it's still a crime: theft.
        – Falco
        yesterday






      • 19




        If my church says I need to tithe 10% of my income or go to hell, could I argue that it was stealing by means of deceit - requiring them to prove that their claims were truthful?
        – Rob P.
        yesterday






      • 9




        @RobP. IRS guidelines say that documents (for tax purposes etc) acknowledging donations to religious groups should say that "goods or services, if any, that the organization provided in return for the contribution consisted entirely of intangible religious benefits" if that's the case. My church does that for my tithes. You could argue that "not going to hell" is an intangible religious benefit, so there's no deception. Ask a new question if you have further questions.
        – Thunderforge
        yesterday








      • 6




        @RobP. First, it would be fraud, not robbery or theft, since they aren't threatening you with immediate violence or taking your stuff without asking, but informing you of a putative state of facts over which they claim to have no control to get you to hand them over voluntarily... Second, It's for the prosecutor to make the case: They must prove that the claim made by the hypothetical churchman was not only not truthful, but was known to be untruthful by the person who made it. If they believe it, it's not fraud.
        – Ben
        yesterday













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      117
      down vote









      As a concrete example, consider Missouri v. Coleman, where Coleman handed a teller a plastic bag and said "I need you to do me a favor. Put the money in this bag", and later as the manager approached, said "Ma'am, stop where you are and don't move any farther". Coleman was convicted of second degree robbery: but the appeals court found that he had not acted foribly, so his conviction was overturned. Instead, the court entered a conviction for the lesser offense of stealing which is when one




      Appropriates property or services of another with the purpose to
      deprive him or her thereof, either without his or her consent or by
      means of deceit or coercion




      The act may also be termed "theft", as in Washington state. The thief is acting deceptively and thereby gaining control over property.






      share|improve this answer












      As a concrete example, consider Missouri v. Coleman, where Coleman handed a teller a plastic bag and said "I need you to do me a favor. Put the money in this bag", and later as the manager approached, said "Ma'am, stop where you are and don't move any farther". Coleman was convicted of second degree robbery: but the appeals court found that he had not acted foribly, so his conviction was overturned. Instead, the court entered a conviction for the lesser offense of stealing which is when one




      Appropriates property or services of another with the purpose to
      deprive him or her thereof, either without his or her consent or by
      means of deceit or coercion




      The act may also be termed "theft", as in Washington state. The thief is acting deceptively and thereby gaining control over property.







      share|improve this answer












      share|improve this answer



      share|improve this answer










      answered Nov 18 at 0:04









      user6726

      54k44592




      54k44592








      • 14




        I think this answer includes the most important point: A court may rule it not being robbery - but it's still a crime: theft.
        – Falco
        yesterday






      • 19




        If my church says I need to tithe 10% of my income or go to hell, could I argue that it was stealing by means of deceit - requiring them to prove that their claims were truthful?
        – Rob P.
        yesterday






      • 9




        @RobP. IRS guidelines say that documents (for tax purposes etc) acknowledging donations to religious groups should say that "goods or services, if any, that the organization provided in return for the contribution consisted entirely of intangible religious benefits" if that's the case. My church does that for my tithes. You could argue that "not going to hell" is an intangible religious benefit, so there's no deception. Ask a new question if you have further questions.
        – Thunderforge
        yesterday








      • 6




        @RobP. First, it would be fraud, not robbery or theft, since they aren't threatening you with immediate violence or taking your stuff without asking, but informing you of a putative state of facts over which they claim to have no control to get you to hand them over voluntarily... Second, It's for the prosecutor to make the case: They must prove that the claim made by the hypothetical churchman was not only not truthful, but was known to be untruthful by the person who made it. If they believe it, it's not fraud.
        – Ben
        yesterday














      • 14




        I think this answer includes the most important point: A court may rule it not being robbery - but it's still a crime: theft.
        – Falco
        yesterday






      • 19




        If my church says I need to tithe 10% of my income or go to hell, could I argue that it was stealing by means of deceit - requiring them to prove that their claims were truthful?
        – Rob P.
        yesterday






      • 9




        @RobP. IRS guidelines say that documents (for tax purposes etc) acknowledging donations to religious groups should say that "goods or services, if any, that the organization provided in return for the contribution consisted entirely of intangible religious benefits" if that's the case. My church does that for my tithes. You could argue that "not going to hell" is an intangible religious benefit, so there's no deception. Ask a new question if you have further questions.
        – Thunderforge
        yesterday








      • 6




        @RobP. First, it would be fraud, not robbery or theft, since they aren't threatening you with immediate violence or taking your stuff without asking, but informing you of a putative state of facts over which they claim to have no control to get you to hand them over voluntarily... Second, It's for the prosecutor to make the case: They must prove that the claim made by the hypothetical churchman was not only not truthful, but was known to be untruthful by the person who made it. If they believe it, it's not fraud.
        – Ben
        yesterday








      14




      14




      I think this answer includes the most important point: A court may rule it not being robbery - but it's still a crime: theft.
      – Falco
      yesterday




      I think this answer includes the most important point: A court may rule it not being robbery - but it's still a crime: theft.
      – Falco
      yesterday




      19




      19




      If my church says I need to tithe 10% of my income or go to hell, could I argue that it was stealing by means of deceit - requiring them to prove that their claims were truthful?
      – Rob P.
      yesterday




      If my church says I need to tithe 10% of my income or go to hell, could I argue that it was stealing by means of deceit - requiring them to prove that their claims were truthful?
      – Rob P.
      yesterday




      9




      9




      @RobP. IRS guidelines say that documents (for tax purposes etc) acknowledging donations to religious groups should say that "goods or services, if any, that the organization provided in return for the contribution consisted entirely of intangible religious benefits" if that's the case. My church does that for my tithes. You could argue that "not going to hell" is an intangible religious benefit, so there's no deception. Ask a new question if you have further questions.
      – Thunderforge
      yesterday






      @RobP. IRS guidelines say that documents (for tax purposes etc) acknowledging donations to religious groups should say that "goods or services, if any, that the organization provided in return for the contribution consisted entirely of intangible religious benefits" if that's the case. My church does that for my tithes. You could argue that "not going to hell" is an intangible religious benefit, so there's no deception. Ask a new question if you have further questions.
      – Thunderforge
      yesterday






      6




      6




      @RobP. First, it would be fraud, not robbery or theft, since they aren't threatening you with immediate violence or taking your stuff without asking, but informing you of a putative state of facts over which they claim to have no control to get you to hand them over voluntarily... Second, It's for the prosecutor to make the case: They must prove that the claim made by the hypothetical churchman was not only not truthful, but was known to be untruthful by the person who made it. If they believe it, it's not fraud.
      – Ben
      yesterday




      @RobP. First, it would be fraud, not robbery or theft, since they aren't threatening you with immediate violence or taking your stuff without asking, but informing you of a putative state of facts over which they claim to have no control to get you to hand them over voluntarily... Second, It's for the prosecutor to make the case: They must prove that the claim made by the hypothetical churchman was not only not truthful, but was known to be untruthful by the person who made it. If they believe it, it's not fraud.
      – Ben
      yesterday










      up vote
      65
      down vote













      Generally, the law would not just look at the robber's literal words, but at how a reasonable person would understand them in context. And it will assume that the robber meant them to be understood in that way. Here, a reasonable person would understand such a note to be a threat of violence, so the law will assume the robber meant it as a threat.



      Likewise, a mob boss who tells his associates to "take Joe for a ride" will not be able to avoid prosecution by insisting that he only told them to provide him with a pleasant sightseeing tour.






      share|improve this answer

















      • 4




        Mitchell and Webb did a sketch with a number of expressions similar to your "take Joe for a ride" example: youtube.com/watch?v=U6cake3bwnY
        – kasperd
        2 days ago






      • 1




        @kasperd Won't think of "light refreshments" the same way again
        – Xen2050
        2 days ago










      • Or, famously, "wouldn't want anything to happen to it"...
        – Peter A. Schneider
        yesterday












      • Related: the Derek Bentley case (also made into a Film, "Let Him Have It")
        – Chronocidal
        18 hours ago















      up vote
      65
      down vote













      Generally, the law would not just look at the robber's literal words, but at how a reasonable person would understand them in context. And it will assume that the robber meant them to be understood in that way. Here, a reasonable person would understand such a note to be a threat of violence, so the law will assume the robber meant it as a threat.



      Likewise, a mob boss who tells his associates to "take Joe for a ride" will not be able to avoid prosecution by insisting that he only told them to provide him with a pleasant sightseeing tour.






      share|improve this answer

















      • 4




        Mitchell and Webb did a sketch with a number of expressions similar to your "take Joe for a ride" example: youtube.com/watch?v=U6cake3bwnY
        – kasperd
        2 days ago






      • 1




        @kasperd Won't think of "light refreshments" the same way again
        – Xen2050
        2 days ago










      • Or, famously, "wouldn't want anything to happen to it"...
        – Peter A. Schneider
        yesterday












      • Related: the Derek Bentley case (also made into a Film, "Let Him Have It")
        – Chronocidal
        18 hours ago













      up vote
      65
      down vote










      up vote
      65
      down vote









      Generally, the law would not just look at the robber's literal words, but at how a reasonable person would understand them in context. And it will assume that the robber meant them to be understood in that way. Here, a reasonable person would understand such a note to be a threat of violence, so the law will assume the robber meant it as a threat.



      Likewise, a mob boss who tells his associates to "take Joe for a ride" will not be able to avoid prosecution by insisting that he only told them to provide him with a pleasant sightseeing tour.






      share|improve this answer












      Generally, the law would not just look at the robber's literal words, but at how a reasonable person would understand them in context. And it will assume that the robber meant them to be understood in that way. Here, a reasonable person would understand such a note to be a threat of violence, so the law will assume the robber meant it as a threat.



      Likewise, a mob boss who tells his associates to "take Joe for a ride" will not be able to avoid prosecution by insisting that he only told them to provide him with a pleasant sightseeing tour.







      share|improve this answer












      share|improve this answer



      share|improve this answer










      answered Nov 17 at 20:53









      Nate Eldredge

      7,7111732




      7,7111732








      • 4




        Mitchell and Webb did a sketch with a number of expressions similar to your "take Joe for a ride" example: youtube.com/watch?v=U6cake3bwnY
        – kasperd
        2 days ago






      • 1




        @kasperd Won't think of "light refreshments" the same way again
        – Xen2050
        2 days ago










      • Or, famously, "wouldn't want anything to happen to it"...
        – Peter A. Schneider
        yesterday












      • Related: the Derek Bentley case (also made into a Film, "Let Him Have It")
        – Chronocidal
        18 hours ago














      • 4




        Mitchell and Webb did a sketch with a number of expressions similar to your "take Joe for a ride" example: youtube.com/watch?v=U6cake3bwnY
        – kasperd
        2 days ago






      • 1




        @kasperd Won't think of "light refreshments" the same way again
        – Xen2050
        2 days ago










      • Or, famously, "wouldn't want anything to happen to it"...
        – Peter A. Schneider
        yesterday












      • Related: the Derek Bentley case (also made into a Film, "Let Him Have It")
        – Chronocidal
        18 hours ago








      4




      4




      Mitchell and Webb did a sketch with a number of expressions similar to your "take Joe for a ride" example: youtube.com/watch?v=U6cake3bwnY
      – kasperd
      2 days ago




      Mitchell and Webb did a sketch with a number of expressions similar to your "take Joe for a ride" example: youtube.com/watch?v=U6cake3bwnY
      – kasperd
      2 days ago




      1




      1




      @kasperd Won't think of "light refreshments" the same way again
      – Xen2050
      2 days ago




      @kasperd Won't think of "light refreshments" the same way again
      – Xen2050
      2 days ago












      Or, famously, "wouldn't want anything to happen to it"...
      – Peter A. Schneider
      yesterday






      Or, famously, "wouldn't want anything to happen to it"...
      – Peter A. Schneider
      yesterday














      Related: the Derek Bentley case (also made into a Film, "Let Him Have It")
      – Chronocidal
      18 hours ago




      Related: the Derek Bentley case (also made into a Film, "Let Him Have It")
      – Chronocidal
      18 hours ago










      up vote
      11
      down vote














      How is this different than say people asking for charity donations in
      the street?




      Context is everything.



      Obviously, someone asking for charity donations on the street will present themselves as a legal charity, like the Salvation Army, etc. If you meant "charity" in the sense of someone panhandling Panhandling | (Merriam-Webster), most if not all people will take the asking for $1000 as an absurd request and keep walking. It's possible that someone may take offense and the police may deem it an attempt at mugging or stealing, depending on jurisdiction, and see user6726's answer.



      But to walk into a bank and ask for $1000, the context is completely different. That's because a bank is where the money is. You don't usually walk into a bank for anything other than a financial transaction, either a legal or an attempted illegal transaction. As the (apocryphal) saying goes, Willie Sutton (Wikipedia) robbed banks "Because that's where the money is".



      So while it's possible that a polite bank robber trying to not be aggressive may get away with robbery under a lesser charge, anyone in a bank requesting an illegal withdrawal - by any means - is still a bank robber, and 99% of the time, I think a jury and judge will see that.






      share|improve this answer























      • "You don't usually walk into a bank for anything other than a financial transaction" - I find busking & begging far more effective in banks and by cash points. Doing these activities in the cash point however is much less effective.
        – UKMonkey
        yesterday















      up vote
      11
      down vote














      How is this different than say people asking for charity donations in
      the street?




      Context is everything.



      Obviously, someone asking for charity donations on the street will present themselves as a legal charity, like the Salvation Army, etc. If you meant "charity" in the sense of someone panhandling Panhandling | (Merriam-Webster), most if not all people will take the asking for $1000 as an absurd request and keep walking. It's possible that someone may take offense and the police may deem it an attempt at mugging or stealing, depending on jurisdiction, and see user6726's answer.



      But to walk into a bank and ask for $1000, the context is completely different. That's because a bank is where the money is. You don't usually walk into a bank for anything other than a financial transaction, either a legal or an attempted illegal transaction. As the (apocryphal) saying goes, Willie Sutton (Wikipedia) robbed banks "Because that's where the money is".



      So while it's possible that a polite bank robber trying to not be aggressive may get away with robbery under a lesser charge, anyone in a bank requesting an illegal withdrawal - by any means - is still a bank robber, and 99% of the time, I think a jury and judge will see that.






      share|improve this answer























      • "You don't usually walk into a bank for anything other than a financial transaction" - I find busking & begging far more effective in banks and by cash points. Doing these activities in the cash point however is much less effective.
        – UKMonkey
        yesterday













      up vote
      11
      down vote










      up vote
      11
      down vote










      How is this different than say people asking for charity donations in
      the street?




      Context is everything.



      Obviously, someone asking for charity donations on the street will present themselves as a legal charity, like the Salvation Army, etc. If you meant "charity" in the sense of someone panhandling Panhandling | (Merriam-Webster), most if not all people will take the asking for $1000 as an absurd request and keep walking. It's possible that someone may take offense and the police may deem it an attempt at mugging or stealing, depending on jurisdiction, and see user6726's answer.



      But to walk into a bank and ask for $1000, the context is completely different. That's because a bank is where the money is. You don't usually walk into a bank for anything other than a financial transaction, either a legal or an attempted illegal transaction. As the (apocryphal) saying goes, Willie Sutton (Wikipedia) robbed banks "Because that's where the money is".



      So while it's possible that a polite bank robber trying to not be aggressive may get away with robbery under a lesser charge, anyone in a bank requesting an illegal withdrawal - by any means - is still a bank robber, and 99% of the time, I think a jury and judge will see that.






      share|improve this answer















      How is this different than say people asking for charity donations in
      the street?




      Context is everything.



      Obviously, someone asking for charity donations on the street will present themselves as a legal charity, like the Salvation Army, etc. If you meant "charity" in the sense of someone panhandling Panhandling | (Merriam-Webster), most if not all people will take the asking for $1000 as an absurd request and keep walking. It's possible that someone may take offense and the police may deem it an attempt at mugging or stealing, depending on jurisdiction, and see user6726's answer.



      But to walk into a bank and ask for $1000, the context is completely different. That's because a bank is where the money is. You don't usually walk into a bank for anything other than a financial transaction, either a legal or an attempted illegal transaction. As the (apocryphal) saying goes, Willie Sutton (Wikipedia) robbed banks "Because that's where the money is".



      So while it's possible that a polite bank robber trying to not be aggressive may get away with robbery under a lesser charge, anyone in a bank requesting an illegal withdrawal - by any means - is still a bank robber, and 99% of the time, I think a jury and judge will see that.







      share|improve this answer














      share|improve this answer



      share|improve this answer








      edited 13 hours ago

























      answered Nov 18 at 2:35









      BlueDogRanch

      9,30721736




      9,30721736












      • "You don't usually walk into a bank for anything other than a financial transaction" - I find busking & begging far more effective in banks and by cash points. Doing these activities in the cash point however is much less effective.
        – UKMonkey
        yesterday


















      • "You don't usually walk into a bank for anything other than a financial transaction" - I find busking & begging far more effective in banks and by cash points. Doing these activities in the cash point however is much less effective.
        – UKMonkey
        yesterday
















      "You don't usually walk into a bank for anything other than a financial transaction" - I find busking & begging far more effective in banks and by cash points. Doing these activities in the cash point however is much less effective.
      – UKMonkey
      yesterday




      "You don't usually walk into a bank for anything other than a financial transaction" - I find busking & begging far more effective in banks and by cash points. Doing these activities in the cash point however is much less effective.
      – UKMonkey
      yesterday










      up vote
      8
      down vote













      You can't have it both ways. Either the person used words or actions that, under the circumstances, caused the teller to reasonably fear that violence will occur if the money isn't given or they didn't. If the former, it's a threat. If the latter, the teller won't give them the money.



      If their words caused the teller to give them money because the teller feared violence, and this was the intended result of their words and not totally unexpected, that's the definition of using a threat of force to obtain a thing of value.



      The lack of use of force means, of course, that it's not a violent robbery. But if a reasonable teller feels threatened under the circumstances, it's a threat. If the teller doesn't, they won't give the person the money.






      share|improve this answer



















      • 2




        @Greendrake Because it is a complex, fact-specific question whether those words would be a threat in the circumstances or not. But what is undeniable is that either they are or they aren't, and my answer covers both cases.
        – David Schwartz
        2 days ago






      • 5




        @Greendrake For example, suppose someone walks up to you on the street and says, "Please give me your wallet", and you do. Whether or not they committed theft doesn't depend on a complex analysis of the phrase "Please give me your wallet" but an analysis of the facts and circumstances under which they said it and whether that would make someone feel threatened. Was it dark? Was it late? Were they armed? Did they block your path? What tone of voice did they use? And so on. The words alone aren't what gets analyzed.
        – David Schwartz
        2 days ago








      • 4




        @Greendrake Whatever. Either it is a threat or it isn't. If it's a threat, then the robbery was accomplished by means of a threat. If it isn't a threat, then the person wouldn't feel threatened and wouldn't turn over money. You can't have it both ways -- if you pick words that cause the person to turn over the money because he fears what the robber might do, then you've taken funds by threat. If you don't, then you won't get any money. It's really not complicated.
        – David Schwartz
        2 days ago






      • 1




        That seems pretty clearly wrong. I don't know of any jurisdiction where guilt turns simply on the words you choose. If you have no intent to cause fear, but happen to be dealing with someone especially fearful, that doesn't by itself expose you to liability. If you try to cause fear but choose words that just happen to fail, you're still facing liability for an attempted robbery.
        – bdb484
        2 days ago








      • 2




        Whether the teller "feels threatened" (per your last paragraph) doesn't define whether or not there is a threat. It would need to be reasonable for them to feel threatened in the given scenario.
        – JBentley
        yesterday

















      up vote
      8
      down vote













      You can't have it both ways. Either the person used words or actions that, under the circumstances, caused the teller to reasonably fear that violence will occur if the money isn't given or they didn't. If the former, it's a threat. If the latter, the teller won't give them the money.



      If their words caused the teller to give them money because the teller feared violence, and this was the intended result of their words and not totally unexpected, that's the definition of using a threat of force to obtain a thing of value.



      The lack of use of force means, of course, that it's not a violent robbery. But if a reasonable teller feels threatened under the circumstances, it's a threat. If the teller doesn't, they won't give the person the money.






      share|improve this answer



















      • 2




        @Greendrake Because it is a complex, fact-specific question whether those words would be a threat in the circumstances or not. But what is undeniable is that either they are or they aren't, and my answer covers both cases.
        – David Schwartz
        2 days ago






      • 5




        @Greendrake For example, suppose someone walks up to you on the street and says, "Please give me your wallet", and you do. Whether or not they committed theft doesn't depend on a complex analysis of the phrase "Please give me your wallet" but an analysis of the facts and circumstances under which they said it and whether that would make someone feel threatened. Was it dark? Was it late? Were they armed? Did they block your path? What tone of voice did they use? And so on. The words alone aren't what gets analyzed.
        – David Schwartz
        2 days ago








      • 4




        @Greendrake Whatever. Either it is a threat or it isn't. If it's a threat, then the robbery was accomplished by means of a threat. If it isn't a threat, then the person wouldn't feel threatened and wouldn't turn over money. You can't have it both ways -- if you pick words that cause the person to turn over the money because he fears what the robber might do, then you've taken funds by threat. If you don't, then you won't get any money. It's really not complicated.
        – David Schwartz
        2 days ago






      • 1




        That seems pretty clearly wrong. I don't know of any jurisdiction where guilt turns simply on the words you choose. If you have no intent to cause fear, but happen to be dealing with someone especially fearful, that doesn't by itself expose you to liability. If you try to cause fear but choose words that just happen to fail, you're still facing liability for an attempted robbery.
        – bdb484
        2 days ago








      • 2




        Whether the teller "feels threatened" (per your last paragraph) doesn't define whether or not there is a threat. It would need to be reasonable for them to feel threatened in the given scenario.
        – JBentley
        yesterday















      up vote
      8
      down vote










      up vote
      8
      down vote









      You can't have it both ways. Either the person used words or actions that, under the circumstances, caused the teller to reasonably fear that violence will occur if the money isn't given or they didn't. If the former, it's a threat. If the latter, the teller won't give them the money.



      If their words caused the teller to give them money because the teller feared violence, and this was the intended result of their words and not totally unexpected, that's the definition of using a threat of force to obtain a thing of value.



      The lack of use of force means, of course, that it's not a violent robbery. But if a reasonable teller feels threatened under the circumstances, it's a threat. If the teller doesn't, they won't give the person the money.






      share|improve this answer














      You can't have it both ways. Either the person used words or actions that, under the circumstances, caused the teller to reasonably fear that violence will occur if the money isn't given or they didn't. If the former, it's a threat. If the latter, the teller won't give them the money.



      If their words caused the teller to give them money because the teller feared violence, and this was the intended result of their words and not totally unexpected, that's the definition of using a threat of force to obtain a thing of value.



      The lack of use of force means, of course, that it's not a violent robbery. But if a reasonable teller feels threatened under the circumstances, it's a threat. If the teller doesn't, they won't give the person the money.







      share|improve this answer














      share|improve this answer



      share|improve this answer








      edited 7 hours ago

























      answered 2 days ago









      David Schwartz

      940310




      940310








      • 2




        @Greendrake Because it is a complex, fact-specific question whether those words would be a threat in the circumstances or not. But what is undeniable is that either they are or they aren't, and my answer covers both cases.
        – David Schwartz
        2 days ago






      • 5




        @Greendrake For example, suppose someone walks up to you on the street and says, "Please give me your wallet", and you do. Whether or not they committed theft doesn't depend on a complex analysis of the phrase "Please give me your wallet" but an analysis of the facts and circumstances under which they said it and whether that would make someone feel threatened. Was it dark? Was it late? Were they armed? Did they block your path? What tone of voice did they use? And so on. The words alone aren't what gets analyzed.
        – David Schwartz
        2 days ago








      • 4




        @Greendrake Whatever. Either it is a threat or it isn't. If it's a threat, then the robbery was accomplished by means of a threat. If it isn't a threat, then the person wouldn't feel threatened and wouldn't turn over money. You can't have it both ways -- if you pick words that cause the person to turn over the money because he fears what the robber might do, then you've taken funds by threat. If you don't, then you won't get any money. It's really not complicated.
        – David Schwartz
        2 days ago






      • 1




        That seems pretty clearly wrong. I don't know of any jurisdiction where guilt turns simply on the words you choose. If you have no intent to cause fear, but happen to be dealing with someone especially fearful, that doesn't by itself expose you to liability. If you try to cause fear but choose words that just happen to fail, you're still facing liability for an attempted robbery.
        – bdb484
        2 days ago








      • 2




        Whether the teller "feels threatened" (per your last paragraph) doesn't define whether or not there is a threat. It would need to be reasonable for them to feel threatened in the given scenario.
        – JBentley
        yesterday
















      • 2




        @Greendrake Because it is a complex, fact-specific question whether those words would be a threat in the circumstances or not. But what is undeniable is that either they are or they aren't, and my answer covers both cases.
        – David Schwartz
        2 days ago






      • 5




        @Greendrake For example, suppose someone walks up to you on the street and says, "Please give me your wallet", and you do. Whether or not they committed theft doesn't depend on a complex analysis of the phrase "Please give me your wallet" but an analysis of the facts and circumstances under which they said it and whether that would make someone feel threatened. Was it dark? Was it late? Were they armed? Did they block your path? What tone of voice did they use? And so on. The words alone aren't what gets analyzed.
        – David Schwartz
        2 days ago








      • 4




        @Greendrake Whatever. Either it is a threat or it isn't. If it's a threat, then the robbery was accomplished by means of a threat. If it isn't a threat, then the person wouldn't feel threatened and wouldn't turn over money. You can't have it both ways -- if you pick words that cause the person to turn over the money because he fears what the robber might do, then you've taken funds by threat. If you don't, then you won't get any money. It's really not complicated.
        – David Schwartz
        2 days ago






      • 1




        That seems pretty clearly wrong. I don't know of any jurisdiction where guilt turns simply on the words you choose. If you have no intent to cause fear, but happen to be dealing with someone especially fearful, that doesn't by itself expose you to liability. If you try to cause fear but choose words that just happen to fail, you're still facing liability for an attempted robbery.
        – bdb484
        2 days ago








      • 2




        Whether the teller "feels threatened" (per your last paragraph) doesn't define whether or not there is a threat. It would need to be reasonable for them to feel threatened in the given scenario.
        – JBentley
        yesterday










      2




      2




      @Greendrake Because it is a complex, fact-specific question whether those words would be a threat in the circumstances or not. But what is undeniable is that either they are or they aren't, and my answer covers both cases.
      – David Schwartz
      2 days ago




      @Greendrake Because it is a complex, fact-specific question whether those words would be a threat in the circumstances or not. But what is undeniable is that either they are or they aren't, and my answer covers both cases.
      – David Schwartz
      2 days ago




      5




      5




      @Greendrake For example, suppose someone walks up to you on the street and says, "Please give me your wallet", and you do. Whether or not they committed theft doesn't depend on a complex analysis of the phrase "Please give me your wallet" but an analysis of the facts and circumstances under which they said it and whether that would make someone feel threatened. Was it dark? Was it late? Were they armed? Did they block your path? What tone of voice did they use? And so on. The words alone aren't what gets analyzed.
      – David Schwartz
      2 days ago






      @Greendrake For example, suppose someone walks up to you on the street and says, "Please give me your wallet", and you do. Whether or not they committed theft doesn't depend on a complex analysis of the phrase "Please give me your wallet" but an analysis of the facts and circumstances under which they said it and whether that would make someone feel threatened. Was it dark? Was it late? Were they armed? Did they block your path? What tone of voice did they use? And so on. The words alone aren't what gets analyzed.
      – David Schwartz
      2 days ago






      4




      4




      @Greendrake Whatever. Either it is a threat or it isn't. If it's a threat, then the robbery was accomplished by means of a threat. If it isn't a threat, then the person wouldn't feel threatened and wouldn't turn over money. You can't have it both ways -- if you pick words that cause the person to turn over the money because he fears what the robber might do, then you've taken funds by threat. If you don't, then you won't get any money. It's really not complicated.
      – David Schwartz
      2 days ago




      @Greendrake Whatever. Either it is a threat or it isn't. If it's a threat, then the robbery was accomplished by means of a threat. If it isn't a threat, then the person wouldn't feel threatened and wouldn't turn over money. You can't have it both ways -- if you pick words that cause the person to turn over the money because he fears what the robber might do, then you've taken funds by threat. If you don't, then you won't get any money. It's really not complicated.
      – David Schwartz
      2 days ago




      1




      1




      That seems pretty clearly wrong. I don't know of any jurisdiction where guilt turns simply on the words you choose. If you have no intent to cause fear, but happen to be dealing with someone especially fearful, that doesn't by itself expose you to liability. If you try to cause fear but choose words that just happen to fail, you're still facing liability for an attempted robbery.
      – bdb484
      2 days ago






      That seems pretty clearly wrong. I don't know of any jurisdiction where guilt turns simply on the words you choose. If you have no intent to cause fear, but happen to be dealing with someone especially fearful, that doesn't by itself expose you to liability. If you try to cause fear but choose words that just happen to fail, you're still facing liability for an attempted robbery.
      – bdb484
      2 days ago






      2




      2




      Whether the teller "feels threatened" (per your last paragraph) doesn't define whether or not there is a threat. It would need to be reasonable for them to feel threatened in the given scenario.
      – JBentley
      yesterday






      Whether the teller "feels threatened" (per your last paragraph) doesn't define whether or not there is a threat. It would need to be reasonable for them to feel threatened in the given scenario.
      – JBentley
      yesterday












      up vote
      2
      down vote













      Robbery is theft carried out through force or the threat of force. The most important part of your hypothetical is that you're saying the person asks for money without making a threat (and presumably without force).



      If that is the case, the person is not a robber and the transaction is not a robbery. It is, like you said, the equivalent of a request for a charitable donation, and it is legal.






      share|improve this answer





















      • Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.
        – feetwet
        11 hours ago















      up vote
      2
      down vote













      Robbery is theft carried out through force or the threat of force. The most important part of your hypothetical is that you're saying the person asks for money without making a threat (and presumably without force).



      If that is the case, the person is not a robber and the transaction is not a robbery. It is, like you said, the equivalent of a request for a charitable donation, and it is legal.






      share|improve this answer





















      • Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.
        – feetwet
        11 hours ago













      up vote
      2
      down vote










      up vote
      2
      down vote









      Robbery is theft carried out through force or the threat of force. The most important part of your hypothetical is that you're saying the person asks for money without making a threat (and presumably without force).



      If that is the case, the person is not a robber and the transaction is not a robbery. It is, like you said, the equivalent of a request for a charitable donation, and it is legal.






      share|improve this answer












      Robbery is theft carried out through force or the threat of force. The most important part of your hypothetical is that you're saying the person asks for money without making a threat (and presumably without force).



      If that is the case, the person is not a robber and the transaction is not a robbery. It is, like you said, the equivalent of a request for a charitable donation, and it is legal.







      share|improve this answer












      share|improve this answer



      share|improve this answer










      answered Nov 17 at 22:08









      bdb484

      10.2k11539




      10.2k11539












      • Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.
        – feetwet
        11 hours ago


















      • Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.
        – feetwet
        11 hours ago
















      Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.
      – feetwet
      11 hours ago




      Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.
      – feetwet
      11 hours ago










      up vote
      -1
      down vote













      IMHO one factor which would be considered in some jurisdictions when deciding if a crime was committed in your scenario is that the cash in a cashier's drawer and in the bank vault is either the property of various depositors or else the property of the corporation that owns the bank, and thus of its shareholders, or possibly a mixture of the property of both.



      The money acquired in your scenario is not the property of the cashier or of the bank manager. Thus the cashier and the bank manager don't have unlimited authority to hand out money like they would if it was their own money. Instead they are restricted to handing out money to those that it is their bank's policy to hand out money to, and in the amounts that it is their bank's policy.



      Thus a person who makes bank employees pay him money he is not entitled to is making them steal money from its rightful owners. He is making them commit a crime. If person A tries to make person B commit a crime that person B wouldn't want to, and if person A succeeds in making person B commit that crime, person A should be considered to be equally guilty of the crime he makes person B commit, and he would be considered equally guilty inmost or all legal jurisdictions.



      But what if the bank has a policy of giving the bank robber what he asks for and not making any trouble for him in hope that he leaves without harming any one? In that case the bank employees are following bank policy and doing as authorized. Therefore they are not stealing from the bank and the robber hasn't forced them to steal from the bank but has made a withdrawal that doesn't violate bank policy. So the bank robber shouldn't have committed any crimes, right?



      Except that the nonviolent bank robber has let the bank employees think that he might be, and probably is, an evil, violent, homicidal bank robber. And thus he has acquired money from the bank by lying by omission about being a nonviolent bank robber, and thus by fraud, which is stealing. So the nonviolent bank robber is a criminal of a different type and might be given too options when arrested. He might testify that he is nonviolent and would never have hurt anyone, and thus be convicted of stealing by fraud, or else testify that he is violent and would have used force if opposed, and thus be convicted of using the threat of violence to commit bank robbery.



      I suspect that any legal loophole that anyone can think of has been thought of before by criminals and lawmakers and has been closed by legistation and/or legal precedents in various trials.






      share|improve this answer








      New contributor




      M.A. Golding is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
      Check out our Code of Conduct.






















        up vote
        -1
        down vote













        IMHO one factor which would be considered in some jurisdictions when deciding if a crime was committed in your scenario is that the cash in a cashier's drawer and in the bank vault is either the property of various depositors or else the property of the corporation that owns the bank, and thus of its shareholders, or possibly a mixture of the property of both.



        The money acquired in your scenario is not the property of the cashier or of the bank manager. Thus the cashier and the bank manager don't have unlimited authority to hand out money like they would if it was their own money. Instead they are restricted to handing out money to those that it is their bank's policy to hand out money to, and in the amounts that it is their bank's policy.



        Thus a person who makes bank employees pay him money he is not entitled to is making them steal money from its rightful owners. He is making them commit a crime. If person A tries to make person B commit a crime that person B wouldn't want to, and if person A succeeds in making person B commit that crime, person A should be considered to be equally guilty of the crime he makes person B commit, and he would be considered equally guilty inmost or all legal jurisdictions.



        But what if the bank has a policy of giving the bank robber what he asks for and not making any trouble for him in hope that he leaves without harming any one? In that case the bank employees are following bank policy and doing as authorized. Therefore they are not stealing from the bank and the robber hasn't forced them to steal from the bank but has made a withdrawal that doesn't violate bank policy. So the bank robber shouldn't have committed any crimes, right?



        Except that the nonviolent bank robber has let the bank employees think that he might be, and probably is, an evil, violent, homicidal bank robber. And thus he has acquired money from the bank by lying by omission about being a nonviolent bank robber, and thus by fraud, which is stealing. So the nonviolent bank robber is a criminal of a different type and might be given too options when arrested. He might testify that he is nonviolent and would never have hurt anyone, and thus be convicted of stealing by fraud, or else testify that he is violent and would have used force if opposed, and thus be convicted of using the threat of violence to commit bank robbery.



        I suspect that any legal loophole that anyone can think of has been thought of before by criminals and lawmakers and has been closed by legistation and/or legal precedents in various trials.






        share|improve this answer








        New contributor




        M.A. Golding is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
        Check out our Code of Conduct.




















          up vote
          -1
          down vote










          up vote
          -1
          down vote









          IMHO one factor which would be considered in some jurisdictions when deciding if a crime was committed in your scenario is that the cash in a cashier's drawer and in the bank vault is either the property of various depositors or else the property of the corporation that owns the bank, and thus of its shareholders, or possibly a mixture of the property of both.



          The money acquired in your scenario is not the property of the cashier or of the bank manager. Thus the cashier and the bank manager don't have unlimited authority to hand out money like they would if it was their own money. Instead they are restricted to handing out money to those that it is their bank's policy to hand out money to, and in the amounts that it is their bank's policy.



          Thus a person who makes bank employees pay him money he is not entitled to is making them steal money from its rightful owners. He is making them commit a crime. If person A tries to make person B commit a crime that person B wouldn't want to, and if person A succeeds in making person B commit that crime, person A should be considered to be equally guilty of the crime he makes person B commit, and he would be considered equally guilty inmost or all legal jurisdictions.



          But what if the bank has a policy of giving the bank robber what he asks for and not making any trouble for him in hope that he leaves without harming any one? In that case the bank employees are following bank policy and doing as authorized. Therefore they are not stealing from the bank and the robber hasn't forced them to steal from the bank but has made a withdrawal that doesn't violate bank policy. So the bank robber shouldn't have committed any crimes, right?



          Except that the nonviolent bank robber has let the bank employees think that he might be, and probably is, an evil, violent, homicidal bank robber. And thus he has acquired money from the bank by lying by omission about being a nonviolent bank robber, and thus by fraud, which is stealing. So the nonviolent bank robber is a criminal of a different type and might be given too options when arrested. He might testify that he is nonviolent and would never have hurt anyone, and thus be convicted of stealing by fraud, or else testify that he is violent and would have used force if opposed, and thus be convicted of using the threat of violence to commit bank robbery.



          I suspect that any legal loophole that anyone can think of has been thought of before by criminals and lawmakers and has been closed by legistation and/or legal precedents in various trials.






          share|improve this answer








          New contributor




          M.A. Golding is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
          Check out our Code of Conduct.









          IMHO one factor which would be considered in some jurisdictions when deciding if a crime was committed in your scenario is that the cash in a cashier's drawer and in the bank vault is either the property of various depositors or else the property of the corporation that owns the bank, and thus of its shareholders, or possibly a mixture of the property of both.



          The money acquired in your scenario is not the property of the cashier or of the bank manager. Thus the cashier and the bank manager don't have unlimited authority to hand out money like they would if it was their own money. Instead they are restricted to handing out money to those that it is their bank's policy to hand out money to, and in the amounts that it is their bank's policy.



          Thus a person who makes bank employees pay him money he is not entitled to is making them steal money from its rightful owners. He is making them commit a crime. If person A tries to make person B commit a crime that person B wouldn't want to, and if person A succeeds in making person B commit that crime, person A should be considered to be equally guilty of the crime he makes person B commit, and he would be considered equally guilty inmost or all legal jurisdictions.



          But what if the bank has a policy of giving the bank robber what he asks for and not making any trouble for him in hope that he leaves without harming any one? In that case the bank employees are following bank policy and doing as authorized. Therefore they are not stealing from the bank and the robber hasn't forced them to steal from the bank but has made a withdrawal that doesn't violate bank policy. So the bank robber shouldn't have committed any crimes, right?



          Except that the nonviolent bank robber has let the bank employees think that he might be, and probably is, an evil, violent, homicidal bank robber. And thus he has acquired money from the bank by lying by omission about being a nonviolent bank robber, and thus by fraud, which is stealing. So the nonviolent bank robber is a criminal of a different type and might be given too options when arrested. He might testify that he is nonviolent and would never have hurt anyone, and thus be convicted of stealing by fraud, or else testify that he is violent and would have used force if opposed, and thus be convicted of using the threat of violence to commit bank robbery.



          I suspect that any legal loophole that anyone can think of has been thought of before by criminals and lawmakers and has been closed by legistation and/or legal precedents in various trials.







          share|improve this answer








          New contributor




          M.A. Golding is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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          share|improve this answer



          share|improve this answer






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          answered 13 hours ago









          M.A. Golding

          11




          11




          New contributor




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          New contributor





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              up vote
              -2
              down vote













              Scenario in other words. Rob walks in a bank and asks Bob for $1000. Bob hands them to Rob and Rob walks away. No treats, no injuries.



              In the scenario propsed Rob is not a robber, he is not a sole person to commit a crime and the crime is not a robbery.



              Money are transferred from the bank to Rob on Rob's request without proper authorisation from the bank. That is theft.



              Bob actively transfer the money from the bank to Rob without proper authorisation. That is theft too.



              Both Bob and Rob commited theft, which is not a robbery, yet is still illegal.






              share|improve this answer








              New contributor




              Crowley is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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                up vote
                -2
                down vote













                Scenario in other words. Rob walks in a bank and asks Bob for $1000. Bob hands them to Rob and Rob walks away. No treats, no injuries.



                In the scenario propsed Rob is not a robber, he is not a sole person to commit a crime and the crime is not a robbery.



                Money are transferred from the bank to Rob on Rob's request without proper authorisation from the bank. That is theft.



                Bob actively transfer the money from the bank to Rob without proper authorisation. That is theft too.



                Both Bob and Rob commited theft, which is not a robbery, yet is still illegal.






                share|improve this answer








                New contributor




                Crowley is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                Check out our Code of Conduct.




















                  up vote
                  -2
                  down vote










                  up vote
                  -2
                  down vote









                  Scenario in other words. Rob walks in a bank and asks Bob for $1000. Bob hands them to Rob and Rob walks away. No treats, no injuries.



                  In the scenario propsed Rob is not a robber, he is not a sole person to commit a crime and the crime is not a robbery.



                  Money are transferred from the bank to Rob on Rob's request without proper authorisation from the bank. That is theft.



                  Bob actively transfer the money from the bank to Rob without proper authorisation. That is theft too.



                  Both Bob and Rob commited theft, which is not a robbery, yet is still illegal.






                  share|improve this answer








                  New contributor




                  Crowley is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                  Check out our Code of Conduct.









                  Scenario in other words. Rob walks in a bank and asks Bob for $1000. Bob hands them to Rob and Rob walks away. No treats, no injuries.



                  In the scenario propsed Rob is not a robber, he is not a sole person to commit a crime and the crime is not a robbery.



                  Money are transferred from the bank to Rob on Rob's request without proper authorisation from the bank. That is theft.



                  Bob actively transfer the money from the bank to Rob without proper authorisation. That is theft too.



                  Both Bob and Rob commited theft, which is not a robbery, yet is still illegal.







                  share|improve this answer








                  New contributor




                  Crowley is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                  Check out our Code of Conduct.









                  share|improve this answer



                  share|improve this answer






                  New contributor




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                  answered 16 hours ago









                  Crowley

                  105




                  105




                  New contributor




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                  New contributor





                  Crowley is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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                      up vote
                      -3
                      down vote













                      The best way to rob a bank is to own one.



                      Suppose the bank owner takes money from the bank, without violence or threats thereof.




                      Why shouldn't a bank robbery without threats be legal?




                      Because the person committing the illegal act is taking other people's property without their permission. It probably wouldn't be classed as a robbery, but it's still illegal.



                      Why should it be illegal for someone to come into your house through an unlocked front door and take all your valuables while you're out? The logic is similar.



                      In the classic film "It's a Wonderful Life," the central conflict comes from protagonist George Bailey misplacing depositor's money. He's in (potential) trouble for a (false but not disprovable) accusation of stealing from the bank's depositors. If you watch that film in the coming holiday season, notice how upset the townspeople are at learning that the money they thought they'd put in the bank for safekeeping might not really be all there or as accessible as they'd hoped. Notice the bank examiner's role, to check for potential issues like this.



                      Would you be upset if you put money in the bank, and when you went to withdraw it, found that you couldn't do so because the money had been given to someone else who hadn't first deposited or otherwise legitimately "earned" the funds (e.g. through interest or a promotion)? A majority of people would, so they support laws that make this illegal.



                      Notes: There are also other laws opposing that outcome, such as government-backed deposit insurance, but uses of this take money from the many to compensate for the private enrichment of the few who took those funds, so there is support for laws that attempt to hold those few accountable. Also, due to fractional reserve banking, most banks today don't have enough cash on hand to cover all the deposits, but they are supposed to have assets (like outstanding loans) to cover them.






                      share|improve this answer























                      • What? You don't seem to have a coherent point here. By the way if you put your money in a bank then for all practical purposes it's now the bank's money and all you have is a claim to it. (Not a lawyer, so what I just said probably isn't entirely accurate or precise). They go and spend your money to buy investments and stuff, and you don't complain about that. The $1000 being stolen comes out of the bank's profits, not out of your account.
                        – immibis
                        yesterday






                      • 1




                        @immibis If the bank's profits go negative far enough, it could be that some people arrive to withdraw and the bank doesn't have the money to cover it. If the bank goes bankrupt, depositors can lose money. That used to happen more often, but now in many countries the government insures depositors' funds up to some limit, and rich depositors can still lose deposits if the bank gambles away too much of that money.
                        – WBT
                        12 hours ago












                      • That is correct, but it's not going to happen because of one robbery. It shouldn't even happen if everyone withdraws all their money - as long as they do it slowly. What the bank can't handle is having to give everyone all their cash all at once, which is called a bank run, because the bank can't just sell all their investments to get the cash back any time they want.
                        – immibis
                        11 hours ago












                      • @immibis One taking or many added up, by a party in a privileged position within the bank, can be quite a large sum, considerably more than what an armed robber at one branch location might make off with. It can be enough so that even if the bank does sell all its investments, there's not enough left for the depositors. A market crash, which might be triggered by a large institution failing to act as expected, can make this scenario more likely as the investments aren't worth as much.
                        – WBT
                        10 hours ago

















                      up vote
                      -3
                      down vote













                      The best way to rob a bank is to own one.



                      Suppose the bank owner takes money from the bank, without violence or threats thereof.




                      Why shouldn't a bank robbery without threats be legal?




                      Because the person committing the illegal act is taking other people's property without their permission. It probably wouldn't be classed as a robbery, but it's still illegal.



                      Why should it be illegal for someone to come into your house through an unlocked front door and take all your valuables while you're out? The logic is similar.



                      In the classic film "It's a Wonderful Life," the central conflict comes from protagonist George Bailey misplacing depositor's money. He's in (potential) trouble for a (false but not disprovable) accusation of stealing from the bank's depositors. If you watch that film in the coming holiday season, notice how upset the townspeople are at learning that the money they thought they'd put in the bank for safekeeping might not really be all there or as accessible as they'd hoped. Notice the bank examiner's role, to check for potential issues like this.



                      Would you be upset if you put money in the bank, and when you went to withdraw it, found that you couldn't do so because the money had been given to someone else who hadn't first deposited or otherwise legitimately "earned" the funds (e.g. through interest or a promotion)? A majority of people would, so they support laws that make this illegal.



                      Notes: There are also other laws opposing that outcome, such as government-backed deposit insurance, but uses of this take money from the many to compensate for the private enrichment of the few who took those funds, so there is support for laws that attempt to hold those few accountable. Also, due to fractional reserve banking, most banks today don't have enough cash on hand to cover all the deposits, but they are supposed to have assets (like outstanding loans) to cover them.






                      share|improve this answer























                      • What? You don't seem to have a coherent point here. By the way if you put your money in a bank then for all practical purposes it's now the bank's money and all you have is a claim to it. (Not a lawyer, so what I just said probably isn't entirely accurate or precise). They go and spend your money to buy investments and stuff, and you don't complain about that. The $1000 being stolen comes out of the bank's profits, not out of your account.
                        – immibis
                        yesterday






                      • 1




                        @immibis If the bank's profits go negative far enough, it could be that some people arrive to withdraw and the bank doesn't have the money to cover it. If the bank goes bankrupt, depositors can lose money. That used to happen more often, but now in many countries the government insures depositors' funds up to some limit, and rich depositors can still lose deposits if the bank gambles away too much of that money.
                        – WBT
                        12 hours ago












                      • That is correct, but it's not going to happen because of one robbery. It shouldn't even happen if everyone withdraws all their money - as long as they do it slowly. What the bank can't handle is having to give everyone all their cash all at once, which is called a bank run, because the bank can't just sell all their investments to get the cash back any time they want.
                        – immibis
                        11 hours ago












                      • @immibis One taking or many added up, by a party in a privileged position within the bank, can be quite a large sum, considerably more than what an armed robber at one branch location might make off with. It can be enough so that even if the bank does sell all its investments, there's not enough left for the depositors. A market crash, which might be triggered by a large institution failing to act as expected, can make this scenario more likely as the investments aren't worth as much.
                        – WBT
                        10 hours ago















                      up vote
                      -3
                      down vote










                      up vote
                      -3
                      down vote









                      The best way to rob a bank is to own one.



                      Suppose the bank owner takes money from the bank, without violence or threats thereof.




                      Why shouldn't a bank robbery without threats be legal?




                      Because the person committing the illegal act is taking other people's property without their permission. It probably wouldn't be classed as a robbery, but it's still illegal.



                      Why should it be illegal for someone to come into your house through an unlocked front door and take all your valuables while you're out? The logic is similar.



                      In the classic film "It's a Wonderful Life," the central conflict comes from protagonist George Bailey misplacing depositor's money. He's in (potential) trouble for a (false but not disprovable) accusation of stealing from the bank's depositors. If you watch that film in the coming holiday season, notice how upset the townspeople are at learning that the money they thought they'd put in the bank for safekeeping might not really be all there or as accessible as they'd hoped. Notice the bank examiner's role, to check for potential issues like this.



                      Would you be upset if you put money in the bank, and when you went to withdraw it, found that you couldn't do so because the money had been given to someone else who hadn't first deposited or otherwise legitimately "earned" the funds (e.g. through interest or a promotion)? A majority of people would, so they support laws that make this illegal.



                      Notes: There are also other laws opposing that outcome, such as government-backed deposit insurance, but uses of this take money from the many to compensate for the private enrichment of the few who took those funds, so there is support for laws that attempt to hold those few accountable. Also, due to fractional reserve banking, most banks today don't have enough cash on hand to cover all the deposits, but they are supposed to have assets (like outstanding loans) to cover them.






                      share|improve this answer














                      The best way to rob a bank is to own one.



                      Suppose the bank owner takes money from the bank, without violence or threats thereof.




                      Why shouldn't a bank robbery without threats be legal?




                      Because the person committing the illegal act is taking other people's property without their permission. It probably wouldn't be classed as a robbery, but it's still illegal.



                      Why should it be illegal for someone to come into your house through an unlocked front door and take all your valuables while you're out? The logic is similar.



                      In the classic film "It's a Wonderful Life," the central conflict comes from protagonist George Bailey misplacing depositor's money. He's in (potential) trouble for a (false but not disprovable) accusation of stealing from the bank's depositors. If you watch that film in the coming holiday season, notice how upset the townspeople are at learning that the money they thought they'd put in the bank for safekeeping might not really be all there or as accessible as they'd hoped. Notice the bank examiner's role, to check for potential issues like this.



                      Would you be upset if you put money in the bank, and when you went to withdraw it, found that you couldn't do so because the money had been given to someone else who hadn't first deposited or otherwise legitimately "earned" the funds (e.g. through interest or a promotion)? A majority of people would, so they support laws that make this illegal.



                      Notes: There are also other laws opposing that outcome, such as government-backed deposit insurance, but uses of this take money from the many to compensate for the private enrichment of the few who took those funds, so there is support for laws that attempt to hold those few accountable. Also, due to fractional reserve banking, most banks today don't have enough cash on hand to cover all the deposits, but they are supposed to have assets (like outstanding loans) to cover them.







                      share|improve this answer














                      share|improve this answer



                      share|improve this answer








                      edited 12 hours ago

























                      answered yesterday









                      WBT

                      2,1771934




                      2,1771934












                      • What? You don't seem to have a coherent point here. By the way if you put your money in a bank then for all practical purposes it's now the bank's money and all you have is a claim to it. (Not a lawyer, so what I just said probably isn't entirely accurate or precise). They go and spend your money to buy investments and stuff, and you don't complain about that. The $1000 being stolen comes out of the bank's profits, not out of your account.
                        – immibis
                        yesterday






                      • 1




                        @immibis If the bank's profits go negative far enough, it could be that some people arrive to withdraw and the bank doesn't have the money to cover it. If the bank goes bankrupt, depositors can lose money. That used to happen more often, but now in many countries the government insures depositors' funds up to some limit, and rich depositors can still lose deposits if the bank gambles away too much of that money.
                        – WBT
                        12 hours ago












                      • That is correct, but it's not going to happen because of one robbery. It shouldn't even happen if everyone withdraws all their money - as long as they do it slowly. What the bank can't handle is having to give everyone all their cash all at once, which is called a bank run, because the bank can't just sell all their investments to get the cash back any time they want.
                        – immibis
                        11 hours ago












                      • @immibis One taking or many added up, by a party in a privileged position within the bank, can be quite a large sum, considerably more than what an armed robber at one branch location might make off with. It can be enough so that even if the bank does sell all its investments, there's not enough left for the depositors. A market crash, which might be triggered by a large institution failing to act as expected, can make this scenario more likely as the investments aren't worth as much.
                        – WBT
                        10 hours ago




















                      • What? You don't seem to have a coherent point here. By the way if you put your money in a bank then for all practical purposes it's now the bank's money and all you have is a claim to it. (Not a lawyer, so what I just said probably isn't entirely accurate or precise). They go and spend your money to buy investments and stuff, and you don't complain about that. The $1000 being stolen comes out of the bank's profits, not out of your account.
                        – immibis
                        yesterday






                      • 1




                        @immibis If the bank's profits go negative far enough, it could be that some people arrive to withdraw and the bank doesn't have the money to cover it. If the bank goes bankrupt, depositors can lose money. That used to happen more often, but now in many countries the government insures depositors' funds up to some limit, and rich depositors can still lose deposits if the bank gambles away too much of that money.
                        – WBT
                        12 hours ago












                      • That is correct, but it's not going to happen because of one robbery. It shouldn't even happen if everyone withdraws all their money - as long as they do it slowly. What the bank can't handle is having to give everyone all their cash all at once, which is called a bank run, because the bank can't just sell all their investments to get the cash back any time they want.
                        – immibis
                        11 hours ago












                      • @immibis One taking or many added up, by a party in a privileged position within the bank, can be quite a large sum, considerably more than what an armed robber at one branch location might make off with. It can be enough so that even if the bank does sell all its investments, there's not enough left for the depositors. A market crash, which might be triggered by a large institution failing to act as expected, can make this scenario more likely as the investments aren't worth as much.
                        – WBT
                        10 hours ago


















                      What? You don't seem to have a coherent point here. By the way if you put your money in a bank then for all practical purposes it's now the bank's money and all you have is a claim to it. (Not a lawyer, so what I just said probably isn't entirely accurate or precise). They go and spend your money to buy investments and stuff, and you don't complain about that. The $1000 being stolen comes out of the bank's profits, not out of your account.
                      – immibis
                      yesterday




                      What? You don't seem to have a coherent point here. By the way if you put your money in a bank then for all practical purposes it's now the bank's money and all you have is a claim to it. (Not a lawyer, so what I just said probably isn't entirely accurate or precise). They go and spend your money to buy investments and stuff, and you don't complain about that. The $1000 being stolen comes out of the bank's profits, not out of your account.
                      – immibis
                      yesterday




                      1




                      1




                      @immibis If the bank's profits go negative far enough, it could be that some people arrive to withdraw and the bank doesn't have the money to cover it. If the bank goes bankrupt, depositors can lose money. That used to happen more often, but now in many countries the government insures depositors' funds up to some limit, and rich depositors can still lose deposits if the bank gambles away too much of that money.
                      – WBT
                      12 hours ago






                      @immibis If the bank's profits go negative far enough, it could be that some people arrive to withdraw and the bank doesn't have the money to cover it. If the bank goes bankrupt, depositors can lose money. That used to happen more often, but now in many countries the government insures depositors' funds up to some limit, and rich depositors can still lose deposits if the bank gambles away too much of that money.
                      – WBT
                      12 hours ago














                      That is correct, but it's not going to happen because of one robbery. It shouldn't even happen if everyone withdraws all their money - as long as they do it slowly. What the bank can't handle is having to give everyone all their cash all at once, which is called a bank run, because the bank can't just sell all their investments to get the cash back any time they want.
                      – immibis
                      11 hours ago






                      That is correct, but it's not going to happen because of one robbery. It shouldn't even happen if everyone withdraws all their money - as long as they do it slowly. What the bank can't handle is having to give everyone all their cash all at once, which is called a bank run, because the bank can't just sell all their investments to get the cash back any time they want.
                      – immibis
                      11 hours ago














                      @immibis One taking or many added up, by a party in a privileged position within the bank, can be quite a large sum, considerably more than what an armed robber at one branch location might make off with. It can be enough so that even if the bank does sell all its investments, there's not enough left for the depositors. A market crash, which might be triggered by a large institution failing to act as expected, can make this scenario more likely as the investments aren't worth as much.
                      – WBT
                      10 hours ago






                      @immibis One taking or many added up, by a party in a privileged position within the bank, can be quite a large sum, considerably more than what an armed robber at one branch location might make off with. It can be enough so that even if the bank does sell all its investments, there's not enough left for the depositors. A market crash, which might be triggered by a large institution failing to act as expected, can make this scenario more likely as the investments aren't worth as much.
                      – WBT
                      10 hours ago







                      protected by BlueDogRanch 13 hours ago



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