Two-bit thief of the day

A Muni fare box repairman ripped off at least $80,000 over several years, transit officials say; prosecutors are looking into whether the guy (whose annual salary was $83,000) also funded a small real estate empire with his thefts. Defense says he's just a "self-made man."

One's first reaction is to think, what an asshole, send him to Quentin for the maximum. But compared to scams like WorldCom or Enron, this guy is so small-time, like on the scale of the Sopranos. Still, there's something about ripping off a public agency that's more disgusting than ripping off a corporation.