Escapee Pays Interest on Debt to Society

Vincent Pelliccia, who spent a substantial part of his youth in prison for breaking into stores and stealing cash, recently donated more than $1,000 to charity.

Pelliccia, of Newhall was arrested last August for escaping from a Virginia chain gang 41 years ago. He spent two weeks in custody in Los Angeles County Jail before receiving a pardon from the governor of Virginia.

While Pelliccia was in custody, his friends and co-workers raised money for his legal defense. As it turned out, Pelliccia did not need the donation. His was not a protracted or costly legal battle.

Although $2,000 was raised, less than $1,000 was spent on a ‘freedom party” to celebrate Pelliccia’s release from custody and on T-shirts and bumper stickers publicizing his plight.

That left $1,067--that is until last week. Pelliccia, who worked as a studio electrician for 28 years, donated the money to Permanent Charities, an organization associated with the entertainment industry and founded by Samuel Goldwyn in 1940.

“Something like this should go to people who need it much more than I do,” Pelliccia said. “If I kept that money it would bother my conscience the rest of my life.”