Thumbing Their Noses At People

THE TEXT
Thumbing Their Noses At People
Two days later, the FBI found the getaway
triggered a report to the IRS. Steve bought a
van and the cash the robbers had left
$10,000 billiard table on a shopping spree
behind but Ghantt, already featured on
in New York, $20,000 worth of Cuban cigars
America's Most Wanted, had vanished. It did
(which were ruined when he neglected to
not take long for clues to emerge. That
put water in the humidor), a Las Vegas-style
same
Chambers
card table complete with $50,000 in chips
walked into a Gastonia bank, deposited
and a baby grand piano that no one could
$5,000 into her account and began asking
play. He indulged Shelly's fondness of
too many questions about the limitations
jewellery, showering her with more than 50
for cash deposits, which triggered a
items, including a $43,000 diamond ring
suspicious activity report. (Although the
and a $5,000 Rolex. Then they bought a
limit is $10,000, the teller filed one anyway.)
nearby furniture shop, put their friends on
In little more than a month, various
the pay-roll and fired the existing manager
informants soon began to report to the FBI
when he tired of the business, saying,
that certain individuals who were never
'When the team is losing the owner fires the
known to have more than small change
coach.' The coach then reported the deal to
were now on a spending spree. 'They
the FBI.
day
Michelle
'Shelly'
always plan the crime but they never plan
what to do afterwards,' says Joel Barlow,
VOCABULARY
senior investigator for AMSEC, the firm
getaway -- únik
be featured in... -- objevit se někde (jakožto
postava, atrakce)
deposit money -- uložit si peníze
trigger -- vést k započetí něčeho, něco spustit
teller -- pokladník
file a report -- podat zprávu
small change -- drobné (peníze)
be on a spending spree -- utrácet jak o život
recover the money -- dostat zpátky peníze
mansion -- velký dům (palác)
(a)round here -- tady u nás (v téhle oblasti)
low-class punk -- podřadný grázl
be in awe of st -- mít posvátnou hrůzu z něčeho
thumb one's nose at sb -- dělat dlouhý nos na
splash out on st -- vyhodit hromadu peněz za
roadster -- sporťák
IRS (Internal Revenue Service) -- daňový úřad
go on a shopping spree -- nakupovat jak o život
humidor -- vlhčící komora
he indulged her fondness of jewellery -vycházel vstříc její lásce ke šperkům
he showered her with gifts -- zahrnul ji dary
payroll -- výplatní páska
fire sb -- vyhodit (ze zaměstnání)
hired by Loomis, Fargo & Co to recover the
money. 'That's where they failed. I see it all
the time.'
In one jump the Chambers moved from
their trailer to an exclusive $635,000
mansion set on Cramer Mountain. 'Round
here, Steve Chambers was considered a
punk, a low-class criminal. But everybody in
Gaston county is in awe of Cramer
Mountain; it's prestigious. Moving there was
his way of thumbing his nose at people.'
The couple splashed out on new cars,
including a BMW Z-3 roadster for Shelly that
CNBW READING ROOM / SMALL BLACK BEETLES / TOO LONG TO FAIL
WORLD'S WORST ROBBERS - 3 - THUMBING THEIR NOSES AT PEOPLE