jimk29 Posted January 18 Report Share Posted January 18 SAN JOSE, California (AP) -- A couple who planted a severed finger in a bowl of Wendy's chili in a scheme to extort money from the fast-food chain were sentenced Wednesday to prison terms of at least nine years.Anna Ayala, 40, who said she bit into the digit, was sentenced to nine years. Her husband, Jaime Plascencia, 44, who obtained the finger from a co-worker who lost it in a workplace accident, was sentenced to more than 12 years."Greed and avarice overtook this couple," said Superior Court Judge Edward Davila, adding that the pair had "lost their moral compass."The two pleaded guilty in September to conspiracy to file a false insurance claim and attempted grand theft with damages exceeding $2.5 million.In a tearful plea for leniency, Ayala apologized to the courtroom gallery and said the scheme was "a moment of poor judgment."She said she retched March 22 after biting into the fingertip while dining with her family at a Wendy's in San Jose.Forensic tests later showed Ayala never chomped down on the finger, but she described the incident to television news crews."There's no words to describe what I felt. It's sick, it's disgusting," she said in a clip played before sentencing. "Just knowing there was a human remain in my mouth is tearing me apart inside."Although authorities suspected a hoax -- in part because the finger was not cooked -- word of the stomach-turning find quickly spread around the world. The Dublin, Ohio-based fast food chain claimed it lost $2.5 million in sales because of the bad publicity, and dozens of workers at the company's Northern California franchises were laid off.The sentencing followed a 90-minute hearing in which several Wendy's employees testified, including the man who made the chili and the cashier who helped Ayala on the day she made the claim."I felt so bad for the fear of what people would think of me," said Hector Pineda, who made the chili and initially came under suspicion. "We are the ones that have suffered."No Wendy's employee was missing a digit at the San Jose restaurant, and no chili suppliers reported finger injuries at their plants.In April, Ayala was arrested at her suburban Las Vegas home. Investigators found a pattern of legal claims she brought against businesses in her name or for her children.A lengthy search for the finger's owner eventually pointed to one of Plascencia's co-workers, who lost it in an accident at the paving company where they worked, police said.Plascencia bought the tip of Brian Rossiter's right ring finger for $100 and told him what he and Ayala were plotting, according to court documents. Rossiter later told police the couple offered him $250,000 to keep quiet.During a recorded jailhouse phone call, Ayala bragged about how other inmates were asking for her autograph, according to a transcript of the call. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Felix_Leiter Posted January 18 Report Share Posted January 18 good. got what they deserved Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elevatedflow Posted January 18 Report Share Posted January 18 good. got what they deservedagreed, with the constant rise in cost of insurance and health care ... these fucks deserve it ...to bad if you commit vehicular manslaughter you can plea bargin it to 5 years ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimk29 Posted January 18 Author Report Share Posted January 18 good. got what they deservedI agree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ibrandon Posted January 18 Report Share Posted January 18 hahaha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elevatedflow Posted January 18 Report Share Posted January 18 i also have to say that the details posted as to how they figured out it was a fraud allows future chilli finger fools to set it up right .. i see it as this1. get finger2. get chilli from location attempting to extort3. put finger in chilli and cook4. repackage chilli5. go back to location and order chili6. take a real bit out of the mother fucker and prepare to deal 7. cash in and hope for the best.** dont use the finger of someone convicted of a felony .. fingerprints will come up and you will end up in jail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tastey Posted January 18 Report Share Posted January 18 have these supermarket scams EVER worked? once? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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