A US man is facing up to 30 years in jail - for stealing a single doughnut.
Scott Masters, 41, is accused of slipping the doughnut inside his sweatshirt, then pushing away a female store worker who tried to stop him fleeing the store in Farmington, Minnesota.
US authorities said the push was being treated as a minor assault, which transforms a simple shoplifting charge into the more serious demeanour of strong-arm robbery.
It carries a potential prison term of five to 15 years but as Mr Masters already has a criminal record, prosecutors are entitled to double his sentence.
It means that he faces a maximum 30-year stint behind bars.
Mr Masters admits he tried to steal the doughnut but denies having assaulted the clerk.
Speaking from jail, he told the St Louis Post-Dispatch: "Strong-arm robbery? Over a doughnut? That's impossible. There's no way I would've pushed a woman over a doughnut."
To make matters worse, Mr Masters said he did not even get the chance to savour the snack - he threw it away as he fled the scene.
Farmington Police Chief Rick Baker said state law treats the shoplifting and assault as forcibly stealing property - and the amount of force and value of the property does not matter.
"It's not the doughnut," Mr Baker said. "It's the assault."