FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A federal judge in Florida has ruled that a man who robbed a bank, stripped naked and ran down the street throwing stolen money into the air is so severely mentally ill, he can’t be held responsible for the crime.
Chief U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore found 26-year-old Alexander Sperber not guilty by reason of insanity following a 25-minute trial on Wednesday. Sperber will remain jailed while receiving mental health treatment.
Prosecutors say a dye pack exploded as Sperber ran from the Regions Bank branch in Fort Lauderdale in July. Covered in red dye, he shedded his clothes and tossed money. The SunSentinel reports Sperber told investigators that a chip in head compelled him to rob the bank, so that he could pursue his career as a comedian.