14 DAY TRIAL // Maurice Owens thought that he could get rich after staging his own injury slipping on a banana peel and trying to scam the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) for the staggering amount of $15,000 (€11,000).
The man, probably inspired by comedians, poorly staged a banana peel slip when exiting an elevator in the Potomac Avenue station in Washington. The schemer accused WMATA of slipping on the banana peel that wasn't cleaned by custodians, falling and injuring his leg and hip.
After making an entire show with the fake slip, Maurice was allegedly taken to the hospital where he discovered his severe injuries. For the damage done by the uncleanliness of the place, he filed a claim for $15,000. In an interview taken after the so-called incident, Owens asked why station custodians don't do their jobs and leave dangerous banana peels in the elevators, according to NBC Washington.
What Mr. Owens did not know was that there was a security camera in the elevator that caught him in the act. The footage shows that when the man enters the elevator there is no trace of any fruit residue on the floor, but after the agitated man suspiciously moves around a bit, a banana peel appears, out of nowhere.
The unaware citizen trying to exit the elevator slipped on the sudden-grown banana peel and injured himself in a badly executed fall. Some may say that he would have had a better chance at getting a Movie Award than the $15,000. With the more than explaining footage from the elevator used as evidence, the man was charged with second-degree fraud.
The wannabe victim ended up scamming himself, being charged with fraud and scheduled for court next week. It was all because of that tricky hidden camera, who knows, maybe he would've gotten away with the fraud if he hadn't been caught red-handed on tape.
