SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — A 77-year-old man awaiting sentencing for robbing a Branson bank says he wanted to be caught so he could receive health care in the federal prison sentence.

The Springfield News-Leader reports that Joseph Cyrus turned himself in a few days after the Oct. 16 robbery. He said he used a plastic BB gun to hold up the bank.

Cyrus gave an emotional speech in the courtroom after pleading guilty last month, saying he has bad feet and is losing his hearing. He told the judge he recently lost his job and was turned away by a Veterans Affairs hospital.

Witnesses at the bank said Cyrus was “hunched over” and appeared to be in pain as he walked out of the building.

He faces up to 10 years in prison.