Judge Doesn’t Appreciate Good Cents

STAMFORD, Conn. —  A Superior Court judge ordered a man who delivered two 35-gallon drums of pennies to his ex-wife to take the pennies back and write her a check.

Frank Colandro had delivered the pennies as the first payment in a divorce settlement but Judge William Lewis ordered Colandro to write a certified check to his ex-wife for the $1,500 instead.

Colandro, 26, of Stamford, said he collected 150,000 pennies, loaded them in two 35-gallon drums and had them sent to his ex-wife. He said it cost him $80 to hire a company to deliver the pennies, and another $80 to have them taken to her attorney’s office when she wouldn’t accept them.

The case ended up back in court, and Colandro was told to take back the pennies.

“In other words, the judge told me pennies weren’t legal tender,” Colandro said. “Why do they make them if you can’t pay anybody off with them?”

He said he would like to fight the issue but cannot afford more litigation.