Only in America: A $525 fine for an 89-cent mistake

A man is hit with a hefty fine for failing to pay pennies for a soda refill — and more in our collection of strange revelations about the nation

A $525 fine for an 89-cent mistake
(Image credit: Thinkstock)

A South Carolina construction worker was fired and hit with a $525 fine for "theft of government property" after failing to pay 89 cents for a soda refill. Christopher Lewis said he didn't know he had to pay extra for his second cup at the VA Medical Center in Charleston, where he worked. "I never had the option to make right what I had done wrong," he said.

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