Shopper trying to pass off veal as fruit at self check-out lands in jail

A man tried to pass off veal liver as fruit at the grocery store self check-out and ended up in jail. (iStock)

Veal liver costs considerably more than fruit ... but trying to pass it off as fruit cost a German man considerably more than it would have to just pay full price for the meat.

The 58-year-old businessman, who makes nearly $30,000 a month, scanned $58 worth of veal liver at the self-service checkout, but said it was fruit. He even had it concealed in a fruit bag, the Independent reports.

He was caught and had been held in jail since December until Munich's district court convicted him of theft, ABC Online reports. The man, who had previous convictions for theft and tax evasion and admitted to pulling the same self-service grocery trick three other times, was fined $256,000.

An Australian expert says studies show customers don't feel as bad about stealing when they're dealing with a machine rather than a human cashier. But a police detective says it is, in fact, still stealing.

"Even if it is the avocado and you think you're saving $2, it's still shoplifting," he says. "It's still stealing, it's still a crime and if we catch you, or you get caught, you will be charged."

This article originally appeared on Newser.