People with addiction and doing things they know are wrong can always a way to justify their behavior. But how do you justify your penchant for stealing luxury automobiles.

The way Carroll Joubert, Jr. saw it, time was on his side. He thought writing hot checks to buy five luxury cars from CarMax was legal because the United States went off the gold standard in 1933. This according to chron.com.

The 47-year-old Joubert is being charged with the thefts of five high-end vehicles totaling $297,000.   He accomplished his theft by forging five checks on the Federal Reserve Bank of Georgia to buy a 2011 Cadillac Escalade, a 2009 Lexus, a 2010 Chevrolet Corvette, a 2008 Land Rover and a 2011 BMW.

In addition to a theft class, perhaps Mr. Joubert needs psychological counseling. He claims to believe he can just write checks off the Federal Reserve because all Americans have the right to do that.

The United States left the Gold Standard on June 5, 1933. The United States had been on a gold standard since 1879, except for an embargo on gold exports during World War I, but bank failures during the Great Depression of the 1930s frightened the public into hoarding gold, making the policy untenable.

Joubert used his personal computer to forge the Federal Reserve checks to look like official government documents. The Federal Reserve does not issue certified funds.

Another scheme to steal that keeps dragging America down. Hopefully, an anti-theft class and some psychological counseling will get Joubert back on track.