The winners and the losers

• Loser: Fraud doesn't pay. When Anna Ayala and Jaime Placencia hatched a plan to put a severed finger in a bowl of chili at Wendy's, they probably thought they'd hit on a big-time money-maker. They probably envisioned a day in court when a judge would award them millions.

Instead, a judge this week awarded Ayala nine years in prison, and Placencia a little more than 12 years. He got extra time for also failing to pay child support. Oh yes, there were millions involved, too. They couple is on the hook for $21.2 million in restitution to the restaurant's parent company.

• Winner: While it's never a good thing when a person falls into an open manhole and breaks her leg, cracks ribs and has to sit in sewage for an hour while awaiting rescue, and while we're sure a septic-tank worker is having to answer tough questions as to why he left the manhole uncovered, the story of Irene Berrett's fall this week could have been a lot worse. For one thing, rescue workers were in the middle of training for just such an emergency when the call came. For another, her injuries, while severe, are not believed to be life-threatening.

Meanwhile, Berrett is living proof that, in life, it's best to expect the truly unexpected.