Unemployed man finds $150,000 in his garden in McHenry County

[The Northerner]

Wayne Sabaj was cooking a pork shoulder on his grill on Monday when he decided to pick some broccoli from his garden in the far northwestern suburbs. There, next to the red bell peppers and beneath the pole beans, the unemployed carpenter found more than just vegetables — a bag of money containing tens of thousands of dollars.

McHenry County Sheriff’s police came out, and found another bag. Together the bags contained $150,000, officials said.

“I’m unemployed and have no money. I lost my house a few years ago when I ran out of work,” Sabaj said. At first, “I was worried about who would come back for it and figured I couldn’t keep it. ... Now I’m hoping no one claims it and I get it back.”

McHenry County Undersheriff Andrew Zinke says authorities are checking the bags for fingerprints and other evidence. He says the cash could have come from a burglary that hasn’t been reported.

Read more: http://www.suntimes.com/7383279-417/unemployed-man-finds-150000-in-his-garden-in-mchenry-county.html

[xchrom]

1. Good luck to him. Nt

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. Good luck to him!

And I applaud him for turning the money in...

And if the money is returned to the rightful owners, I hope they will at least reward him for his honesty.

Even though he's in a tough place, he did the right thing.

[SteveM]

3. Indeed. A similar instance occurred in the late 70s in Austin, TX.,,,

where I worked as a secretary for an attorney. A U of Texas student came in for advice about a paper sack filled with S7,000+, stashed behind a bush in the center of campus. The Austin Police Department retained possession of it for a certain time, announcing publicly that the money had been found. When no credible claimant came forward, the finder was awarded all of it.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

5. What a great story...

Thank you for telling it...

[Riftaxe]

4. All I ever find is rocks

and weeds! Maybe if I plant more broccoli...

[pintobean]

7. My life story

[kentuck]

6. That happens to me all the time...

When I pull up the carrots, when I pull up corn stalks, even when I pull up the green onions. There's just bags of money everywhere. Yep...

[INdemo]

8. 150,000 in cash from a burglary that hasn't been reported?

And just where is the money now?

[CaliforniaPeggy]

10. The article doesn't exactly say, but I expect the police still have it...

[reggie the dog]

9. what a dumbass

take the money and fucking move, i was within a mile of there this summer, dude has fifty dollars to his name, finds a hundred and fifty thousand that he thinks is drug or bank robbing money and does not keep it WHAT THE FUCK???

[CaliforniaPeggy]

11. He has a conscience...that's why he didn't keep it.

[reggie the dog]

13. a conscience?? so do i, and my conscience would make me feel

bad to not have taken that money for my family. he said the money was newly put on the land where he was living, if someone stashes a hundred and fifty grand on my land without asking i will take it, if they want me to stash it i would still get a big cut for hiding it for them.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

15. It is immoral to keep something--anything--that is not yours. Period.

[reggie the dog]

37. why?

[JoeyT]

16. Meh.

Now the cops will keep it. Sure if they can't prove that it's involved in criminal stuff they should give it back, but they'll do everything in their power to not have to do that.

[Xithras]

18. Legally, keeping that much money is pretty risky.

If it's drug money, you're probably fine, but what if it was proceeds from a robbery and some of those numbers were recorded? When you suddenly show up spending that cash, you're going to have a hell of a time convincing the police that you just "found it in your garden". The police, judge, and jury will laugh you all the way to your prison cell.

[rocktivity]

19. I dunno -- if the "owners" were to come back looking for that money, they might ask you return it

and not necessarily politely. In which case, what could you do about it--call the police?

And there's the tax angle, too -- sudden spurt of big bank deposits or big ticket items on your part might make the IRS notice.

:headbang:
rocktivity

[petronius]

26. I'd be pretty worried about that even if the police give it back to him

I can imagine a situation where the sort of people who could drop $150k might be loathe to claim it from the police, but would be happy to demand it back from him.

If he does get to claim it, I think it would be safer for him if the public is told the exact opposite - or that he and his family pack up and fade away...

[reggie the dog]

38. i know how to spend dirty money without getting caught

it is not difficult just do not spend over ten thousand at once and you are fine and no bank accounts!

[csziggy]

39. If I were going to keep a large amount of "found" money

No way would it ever get to a bank under my name. Cash could be used to supplement whatever income I already had, in discreet amounts that would not be obvious to a casual observer. Use it to buy groceries, gas, clothing. NOT for rent or utilities.

Frankly, given that situation, he did the right thing - turn it over to the police. If it is from a robbery the usual thing is a 10% reward from an insurance company. If no one claims it, then he will get it eventually.

I love that since the police did not have the budget for a stakeout, they left a card on the spot where the money was found. Yeah, right - some robber or drug dealer is going to call the cops and ask for their money back. :rofl:

[lumberjack_jeff]

27. No. An ethical person. n/t

[reggie the dog]

40. ethical???

someone stashes over a hundred and fifty grand of dirty money on my land and i risk jail for it that is unethical, people want to stash illegal money on my land they will have to give me a cut otherwise why would i take the risk?

[lumberjack_jeff]

44. Yes. Ethical.

One should attempt to find the owner of found stuff.

I'm wasting my time. Might as well be talking to the dog.

[reggie the dog]

45. and wouldnt it be ethical to offer a cut to the person hiding the

dirty money for the criminal? at least 10 if not 25 percent to hide the money, hell you get 40 to 50% to launder it so hiding it should be a paid service too.

[Yavin4]

33. And The People Who Stole Will Come Looking for You

See the movie, "No Country for Old Men".

[Enrique]

42. maybe he saw "A Simple Plan" n/t

[hifiguy]

12. Capone's vault?

I'd have kept my trap shut about finding a cache of loot like that. Hope this guy gets to keep it.

[rocktivity]

14. If they can't trace it to a crime and it isn't claimed in six months, it's his

and he won't even have to pay income tax, right?

Good luck. Sabaj

:headbang:
rocktivity

[Xithras]

17. No, he'll have to pay taxes on it.

According to the IRS, "Found Money" has to be reported and is taxable.

[DaveJ]

20. I hope he at least gets some TV interviews

I feel sorry for him since I know there is hardly any work in McHenry County.

[NNN0LHI]

21. I wouldn't keep it either

Good chance the owner of that money is going to come back looking for it sooner or later. And usually people who carry that kind of money around in plastic bags would not be the kind of people I would want to come visiting me during the middle of the night while looking for their money.

Wouldn't put my family in that kind of jeopardy for any money.

Don

[kestrel91316]

22. He's never getting that money back. The cops will declare it drug profits

and confiscate it, or decide it's evidence of a crime and has to be held locked up.

If I ever found a lot of money I would keep my mouth shut.

[SheilaT]

23. To all of you who think the cops

will simply keep this money: These stories pop up every year or so, and pretty much invariably money like this is never claimed and the finder gets to keep it. The police seem to be stunningly honest and above-board in these cases. Plus, of course, there's always been this first news story, which would disincline the police to just try to keep it.

[toddwv]

24. What kind of seed was HE using?

Just want to know because we have room to plant a garden next year.

[Matariki]

25. Fairies!

[Hassin Bin Sober]

28. I hope there is a prospective employer looking for an HONEST employee - because he would be it.

[intheflow]

29. +1

[intheflow]

30. Coincidentally, I found a $10 bill in my garden last week.

It'd be good if this was a growing trend.

[onethatcares]

43. did you plant a $l.00?

just think what'll happen if you plant some Abes and Grants.:hi:

[-..__...]

31. Keep it, and hope no one comes looking for it...

[Poll_Blind]

34. Heh, oh man what a nightmare that would be.

PB

[Modern_Matthew]

32. I sure as hell wouldn't have reported it. nt

[Yavin4]

35. If You Ever Find Large Sums of Money, You Should Turn It In

Otherwise some bad people will come looking for it:

[Liberal_in_LA]

36. Hope he gets to keep it

[Recovered Repug]

41. If I were in his situation,

I would have been very tempted to find 100k.