January 19, 2006
Finger Licking Good Redux
According to this story off the AP wire, the couple who planted a severed finger in a bowl of Wendy’s chili last March were sentenced to jail on Wednesday. Anna Ayala, who claimed to have bit into the finger, was sentenced to nine years. Her husband, Jaime Plascencia, was sentenced to more than twelve years. The couple pled guilty in September to conspiracy to file a false insurance claim and attempted grand theft with damages exceeding $2.5 million. The judge ordered the couple to pay about $170,000 in restitution for workers' lost wages. The judge also ordered them to pay nearly $21.8 million to Wendy's International and JEM Management, which owns the restaurant. However, both corporations agreed not to collect from the couple, so long as they never benefit from the scheme.
"Greed and avarice overtook this couple," said Superior Court Judge Edward Davila, adding that the pair had "lost their moral compass."