Highly praised author of SENTENCE: 10 YEARS AND 1,000 BOOKS IN PRISON. In 2001, Genis traded in his publishing career for a life of crime to feed a raging heroin appetite. His taste for the illegal substance (costing Genis $100 per day) led him to embark on a string of robberies in order to pay his debts.[6] The month-long robbery spree centered around the Lower East Side, Greenwich Village, Chelsea, Gramercy Park, and the Financial District.[7] Nicknamed the "apologetic bandit" by the press, Genis offered apologies to his victims as he took their cash and returned their wallets.[8] His 18 robberies accounted for $700 in total.[9] During one week in 2003, Genis committed five robberies. In November of the same year, he was identified by one of his victims, arrested, and eventually convicted of five counts of armed robbery, for which he served 10 years in prison.[10]