Comments on: Stolen Dreams

A Wall Street Trader Lives A Secret Life As A Serial Bank Robber

[kfreeman1967]

Perhaps he should have been more upfront with her. If they couldn't afford the lifestyle she longed for, and he longed to provide, then why didn't he just TELL HER? I am a stay at home mom (granted, I do not send my child to private school, and I drive an 11 yr old vehicle, so my situation is somewhat different), so my husband brings the money home, but I sit and pay the bills. We both know exactly where we stand and what we're spending. If you want to be a grown-up and be married and live in a grown-up world, then anything other than a complete open dialogue about the household budget is moronic. In my world, it would be unthinkable to just wander around spending money without ever questioning the bank balance, or the realism of a purchase, etc., but perhaps in her world, in her circle of friends, maybe they lived that way. This isn't 1956, ladies, you should WANT to know, and if you don't know, you should ask. Otherwise, you aren't fairly sharing the burden.

[drthvader]

...and more thieves and robbers of ALL kinds.

[drthvader]

Good thing you have a mother, concentrate on that.

[sunlover518]

I doubt she was ignorant. probably got red flags but didnt want to give up her lifestyle. now she claims ignorance. dont get married again girl you are a bad judge of character

[mbsheisey]

Please don't judge this woman until you've walked in her shoes. When your spouse wants to keep a secret, they can be successful. I discovered my husband was in serious money trouble after he committed suicide. I knew something was a little off, but he was so good at covering it up, like this man, that I would reluctantly put it out of my mind for awhile, hoping that maybe he woul tell me when he was ready. This went on for years. I would beg and beg him to let us do the bills together and we would do them together for, say, one month, and then the next month, he would go right back to doing them by himself and hiding them from me. I would tell him that I knew I was bad with money and that paying the bills together would help me to get a feel of what was coming in and going out of the house, cause I'm bad with numbers. He still would not do it. Occasionally he would let his jolly facade slip and I could tell something was bothering him, and I would ask him to please go talk to someone and not hold everything inside like most men do and die early of a heart attack cause I loved him so much and did not want to lose him. He told me that men did not go talk to therapists. Well, after 25 years of marriage, he lost his job, but he told me he was laid off. A few months later he committed suicide and after I could see ALL of the mail, I discovered that he had several credit cards that I didn't know about and was about $100,000.00 in debt. I also discovered that the reason he lost his job was because he used his boss's credit card improperly. Several people that he spent his time with during the day also told me that he seemed to be caught up in gambling online. However, when I talked to the police when they investigated his suicide, they said that they could not find anybody who had anything bad to say about him. My husband was also an extremely well-liked person who found himself in an impossible situation, like this man. He tried to be the perfect husband to me, even though I did not ask him to be. I love jewelry and cannot walk by a jewelry store window, but I discovered that when I would stop to look, he would feel like he had to buy me something! I just wanted to look!
Now I have lost my hubband, my best friend, my house, my job, and have gone to live with my mother. Not where I thought I would be at 52 years old.

[drthvader]

Good thing you have a mother, concentrate on that.

[mwalker63]

I for one wish CBS & 48HRS would stop with all this darn Michael Jackson videos and lets get back to work with the real crime videos I am so accustomed to watching. I watch this daily for the last couple of years and now I find myself on you tube looking for old videos cause 48hrs have not come up with anything new until now and the video for stolen dreams I still can't watch. C'MON CBS, I REALLY LIKE WATCHING THE GOOD WORK YOU PUT INTO YOUR STORIES BUT WE NEED SOME NEW MATERIAL. EVEN YOUR PAST VIDEOS YOU HAVE LOCKED UP AND ONLY HAVE PREVIEWS AVAILABLE. ANY LONGER AND YOUR GOING TO LOSE A FAN.

[mariholly]

voxpopulus: That was a weird comment. How shallow! When my father lost his job, we ate Swanson Chix/beef pies and had "Stay-Vacations" ! We were happy. Enough said!

[mariholly]

justice4you: Good response. It is possible that after she makes $$ on th book/movie deal, that they get back together, profiting from this is wrong. The kids are the ones that get hurt in all of this. THANKS for your comment.

[mariholly]

fuzzypie: Cute name. But what you say isn't necessarily true. They didn't say anything much about her, except they portrayed her to be a nice girl. Maybe, (listening to one person that seemed to know her personally), she wasn't. We don't know, so we shouldn't make judgements about her. To say that she "probably is on drugs" is not fair. I agree that they were too materialistic, like praying to God for these things (a Lexus or Range Rover). I agree that they both were living beyond their means. It seems to be an epidemic in our society, where I think going back to the simple things is what we need to do. Maybe God is trying to tell us something!

[mariholly]

Again, another misogynist comment, "Specially (especially sp?) their wives"! Come on: People are people; love of money and what people do to get it is not a respector of persons or gender!

[mariholly]

roscoezzz: I AGREE. Many people are finding themselves in foreclosures and don't resort to robbing banks!

[mariholly]

Julsie3: I think you have a problem with women! You should understand it takes 2 in a marriage or relationship. Stay-at-home Mom isn't a job, oh Yes, I forgot cleaning, cooking, taking care of children is just NOTHING ! You don't know her and shouldn't JUDGE her. We can all agree that when you are a TEAM and there's a problem - you work together to solve it! We never know what's behind closed doors. I do agree though, that she shouldn't profit from a book deal, nor him. We have to remember, they are not celebrities, nor is anyone who commits a crime. We are all sinners, but we need to learn from our mistakes and move on!

[mariholly]

hrt2hrt215 : VERY WELL SAID!!!

[mariholly]

yOUV'E got to be kidding Mjnjoe! WHAT PART OF bankrobbing do you not understand? He may well be a wonderful man now, but then he wasn't. They could have collaborated together and worked out something when he lost his job, my parents did , and they are still married almost 58 yrs.!! It is never the answer. I don't think you should be ashamed of her, you dont know her or what else was going on in their marriage, which sadly today, everything has to be aired out in public!

[mariholly]

YOU SEEM TO HAVE A VENOMOUS HATE TOWARDS WOMEN -- DO YOU THINK YOU MOTHER DID THIS TO YOUR DAD?
SHE WASN'T PATHETIC, HE WAS! SHE DIDN'T ROB MORE THAN ONE BANK.

[mariholly]

I can't believe the number of misogynists responding. There is really a big problem with womanhaters in America.
First of all, 48 hrs. shouldn't have glorified them! Nor any other criminals on their show. She shouldn't profit from writing a book either. She obviously didn't know about the crime-spree he was on. Yes, she didn't work outside the home, but was a loving wife and Mom. Oh, I guess that doesn't count!
HE decided to commit a crime. It is a decision, like we make decisions every day. Stop making excuses for him. He did the crime, he has to do the Time, but he shouln't be made into a celebrity or the wife either. She had every right to divorce him. They mentioned drugs also. I doubt she was doing it along with him. He was a bad guy. He seems to realize that he made a big mistake, as long as he is remorseful and doesn't repeat it. She has the right to go on with her life -- he betrayed her and embarrased her and her kids. Yes, he was trying to provide for her, but that isn't the way to go about it. Alot of people like the comment above said , "Gee, why didn't I think of that"? But, most people only think about it -- not carry it out! Also, if it was the other way around, do you think the husband (Stephen) would stand by his woman (Jeanne)! I think you know the answer to that one!!! THANKS.

[John_Merritt]

I can only imagine what it took for either one to finally admit they were only pawns in a vicious cycle of life. I guess that is what happens when a persons world comes unraveled before everyone's eyes. There is no hiding from the truth. The sad part is that the 'dream' they sought to attain was only a mirage.

We have placed such importance on 'things' within life we think will make us better parents and friends to everyone we meet. When in reality the true treasure always lies within the hearts of men and women everywhere. To covet something you do not possess, but desire, opens each of us up to tantalizing and devastating possibilities. But that is what we do when we start 'chasing the bag' of dreams that sometimes were not meant for everybody.

Chasing a dream is what we as humans do because it is dangled before our eyes daily, like the carrot to the horse. We are drawn in because we see our neighbors, friends and everyone else with something we would like to have, and are unable to attain without some type of intervention or modification of our lifestyle.

The true victims were and always will be the children. They are essentially held hostage to the unrealistic expectations of their parents and they have no recourse except to go along for the ride.

As Steven sits in his jail cell (9 yrs. got off easy) he now knows the errors of his ways because he had it all, and he did not realize it. I am sure being a commodities trader is stressful but a person has to be really bad when you can't make money off the oil market.

I can only hope and pray that his wife and children can survive without their father. I also hope their friends they had before, are still their friends today and can support them through this difficult time.

Moral of the story: Be thankful for everything you have. If you have a TRUE belief in God and a great woman with wonderful children and parents and friends who love you; what more do you need in this life? Because everything we do here, is only the prep course for what awaits us in the future. If we blow opportunities when they arise, there are no assurances we will ever get to revisit that blessing again.

[voxpopulus]

I hope she was at least good in bed.

[mariholly]

voxpopulus: That was a weird comment. How shallow! When my father lost his job, we ate Swanson Chix/beef pies and had "Stay-Vacations" ! We were happy. Enough said!

[bradkt1]

A few years ago, there was a somewhat similar story about a FAA air traffic controller who turned out to be a bank robber.

[naj1953]

He was dumb to think he could get away with it. Robbing banks so you can live above your means. Sounds to me if mommy and daddy could pay off her house, she was a spoiled brat anyway.I bet He knew he would lose her if he didn't provide in the way she was used to. Sounds like they deserve each other. Talk about greed. Dumb A$$ should have said, Hey I lost my job and we gotta sell everything. I mean her parents paid her house off right? why not go to mommy and daddy then. Example of people living above their means and now they want us to feel sorry for them. Most women know how much money their husbands make and I think she knew and now she wants to make money off a book deal, movie, or go on some talk show to make some extra cash. She is one of those women in my mind, who only goes after men that are her meal ticket. Feel sorry for the next dumb a$$. Don't be fooled that this woman is the sweet person, she wants everyone to think she is. There are Hard working Americans who are out of work, lost everything and don't go robbing banks. This guy robs banks, she helps spend the money and now his wife wants to write a book about it. PLEASE... I know I won't be buying her book.