As Michael Caine told Christian Bale in “The Dark Knight,” “some men just want to watch the world burn.” Now, while that was a movie, some men out there really do thrive on some truly deplorable actions. In this case, a Florida man posing as a US Army general scammed an elderly woman out of $60,000 using a narrative of a wounded military dog.

If that wasn’t bad enough, the villain then spent the bulk of the money on a car, a trailer, and a lawn mower.

The Florida man used a story about a wounded dog to steal $60,000 from a 70-year-old woman and spend it on a car

A 70-year-old Volusia County woman responded to a desperate email imploring recipients to help a wounded military service dog. The trouble was, like so many nefarious schemes out there, this was a scam preying on the generous.

A Florida man, pretending to be a retired US Army general, responded to her inquiry and started gathering payments from her. Going by the name Paul LaCamera, the scammer collected tens of thousands of dollars in gift cards, cryptocurrency, and even a one-time mail-in payment of $30,000. But the man behind the scam, 56-year-old Cory Woodall, wouldn’t get away with it. 

Woodall told authorities he thought he was ‘scamming the scammer’ when he stole the money and bought the car

“She sent about $60,000, including $30,000 in cash that this scumbag used to buy a car, a mower, and a trailer.” Those were the words of Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood after deputies arrested and charged Woodall.

Still, before police caught up with him, Woodall spent much of the ill-gotten money on a car, a lawn mower, and a trailer. When asked why he did what he did, Woodall told the authorities that he believed he was “scamming the scammer,” per Fox 35 Orlando. He was not. 

Like Caine said, some of these people really do want to watch things burn. Defend that one. Go ahead. We’ll wait.