Man Finds $140,000, Turns It In To Cops

Brinks Gives Struggling Landscaper $2,000 Reward, His Mom Says It Should Have Been 10%

(CBS/AP)  It was a tempting sight for struggling landscaper Eli Estrada: a bag filled with $140,000 on a Cerritos street.

There was his credit card debt, upcoming wedding and making ends meet with his artificial grass and landscaping business.

But turning it over to Long Beach police last month was the right thing to do, he said.

The 40-year-old Estrada admits that some days "I think I was nuts," but he adds, "I know in my gut that to keep that money would be wrong."

The Bank of America money bag was lost March 11 by Brinks Armored truck drivers. The unmarked $20 bills were bundled into wads of $20,000 and bound for ATMs.

Long Beach police Sgt. Dina Zapalski said Estrada handed over the money bag to an officer who took a report at one of the landscaper's job sites.

Zapalski said she had never heard of someone turning in so much cash.

"I've had people come to me with purses and wallets with cash in it and they'll turn it in," Zapalski told the Los Angeles Times. "But not like this."

Brinks later gave him a $2,000 reward.

"They should have given him 10 percent," Estrada's mother told the Times.

[ed19672]

Eli is my hero! I have a young daughter(18 months) and I want to teach her right from wrong, and I struggle sometimes. I would like to donate to the reward. If anyone has any ideas how to do this it would be appreciated. P.S. I''ve already searched the Cerritos white pages, he''s not listed.

[veteran72]

They say the best things in life are free,
but you can tell it to the birds and bees,
give me money, it''s what I want,....

[nothappyatall]

Gezz, $2,000 reward for returning $140,000 cash???
Crazy thing is, anyone who loses $140,000 CASH in a bag on the street can afford to lose it- especially ina BRINKS bag!

in this case the bank is insured too, and its not like THEY are hard up for money with their $39 bounced check charges and the like!

Shoulda kept it and said phux the bank the way they, mortgage co''s and credit card co''s phux their customers.

[NURREDIN]

I think Bank of America should hire this man to do all the landscaping at their branches. I understand the bitterness of a lot of the posters. It would indeed be a difficult decision to make.If only our coorporate and governmental leaders had this kind of integrity. It''s a shame Brinks and Bank of America were so cheap with the reward.They could have given him half. Didn''t the president of Bank of America just get paid $28,000,000.00? $2000.00 is probably his quarterly golf dues.

[thgdriver]

2,000 is not even 1.5 percent.

Unmarked, used 20 dollar bills are imposable to trace and as long as he used them over his lifetime for cash at super markets, car repairs, Gas, etc. he would be good to go.

Regular folks, small business folks, church, schools people and things like that get their money back from me. I have found cash and returned it in the past. Just a few hundred but I returned it non the less.

The bank''s on the other hand can kiss it goodbye if I find it.

[michellem99-2009]

We were walking by a filling station and there were bills laying about we did pick them up. Yep..We did not keep any..I was raised to do as that gent did..sure we could have used the bills but it was the gas station''s and it was theirs not ours. That was in years ago..I am not talking about a penny here/there. Turn the bloody loot in ...

[option-allie]

The kind of action that makes parents and teachers breathe a sigh of relief! Good job.

[jettskiman]

Now thats an upstanding dude. He just started a business for landscaping. Everyone in the LA area should hire this guy. You could leave your wallet by the pool while hes working at your house and not have to worry. How many guys can you say that about anymore. Not many by reading some of these comments.

[libra127]

Wow. What a great story! Nothing else that I''ve read about in the news brings out the character of the frequent posters on these boards as clearly as this one does. In just a few words, we see in each post just what kind of person we''re dealing with. Sadly, the truely honest ones are rare.

I have nothing but admiration for Mr. Estrada. He did the right thing when so many others (evidently) would not have. May he live long and prosper.

[bobnjersey]

[The chance of Obama winning the nomination now is almost impossible. Implementing Nuclear Power Plants throughout America is very unlikly. Exelon loses Billions. General Electric has already lost Billions. Obama''''s campaign is all but over.]
[Posted by truth-hurts at 10:47 AM : Apr 11, 2008]

does this have any impact on the cost of tea in china?

[NURREDIN]

I guess President Obama never got the memo.

[speakinup]

It can all be summed up in one word, ''integrity''.

Some people have it, and some don''t. Those that don''t, couldn''t understand what motivates those that do if you tried to pound it in with 20 years of prison.

And, THAT folks is why we have so many folks in prison.

[brantozeke]

Man Alive! I can''t believe I live in America with a bunch of THIEVES like most of you other posters. I would have had to turn the money it because otherwise it would be stealing. STEALING. And I want America to be filled with honest people. So, that''s got to start with me and cool people like Mr. Estrada.

The thing is, that he KNEW who the money belonged to. It was in a Brinks bag. If it had been in a brown paper bag, then he could have taken it to the police, and I think that after 30 days (or so) - if nobody came looking for it - it would be his. But. It wasn''t in a brown paper bag. It was in a Brinks bag. So. There you go.

WAY TO GO, ELI ESTRADA!!! You make me proud!!

[bobnjersey]

[I''''d have paid my bills and sat on the rest. Why should I be honest. The President and his crew aren''''t. He should have acted like the two faced Christians in the White House. After all, they started a war, destabilized the middle east. All to line their pockets.]
[Posted by enriquecalie at 09:47 PM : Apr 10, 2008]

it goes much further than this. many claim that the loss of ethics and ''doing the right thing'' is lost due to the lack of religion in schools. but more influential than saying a prayer (or not) in school is the pervasive attitude that seems to exist at all levels of authority that it (whatever) is ok to do ''as long as you get a away with it''. this seems to be the new touchstone principle that guides peoples desision process.

politicians misrepresenting the truth ... including those in the highest seats of power ... corporate leaders who fudge the numbers, lay off thousands, then take huge severence ... and even distraught parents tossing their children off of bridges creates a pervasive sense of ''me'' ... which is the true ''trickle down'' that affects us all ... and is the underlying theme of your post.

[ranger1948]

Thirteenburn
You are really amazing. Where did you find out he was an illegal ? When have youeever seen an illegal walk intoi a police statioin to return something they found ? And yes many illegals come here to work to support their families becasue they can''t earn enough in their own country to do so. When they do come they try to be law abiding so they will not attract the attention of the authorities.

[shanev137]

WHAT A DUMB A*SS ! ! ! The bank lost the money... screw the bank. when has a bank ever done anything good for anybody?

---------


Exactly.

To Bank of America, losing 140K that fell out of a truck, would be like us losing a penny that fell out of our pocket.

[flolake]

Thirteenburn at 02:46 AM : Apr 11, 2008:

You are despicable, Thirteenburn!

[flolake]

$2Grand? Don''t look now Brinks but you may never be so lucky again. What a stingy bunch of thankless opportunists.

[tulcak]

WHAT A DUMB A*SS ! ! ! The bank lost the money... screw the bank. when has a bank ever done anything good for anybody? you know, this guy deserves to drown in debt. this money could have put him back on his feet. he is a selfish man who is only thinking of his own "gut", not about his family or anyone he owed money to (not credit card companies, but, friends and family)... I have to say it again... WHAT A DUMB A*SS ! ! !

[shanev137]

And then there is the little matter of karma: As ye sow, so shall ye reap; For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction; What goes up must come down; etc. It doesn''t matter whether or not you believe it; it just happens to be the way the universe works, like it or not.

-----------------


Wow, you people are some of the dumbest people I have ever read about.

It''s pretty amazing that you believe if I drop a $100 bill out the window of my car that the next person who picks it up will suffer "karma consequences" if they don''t spend their whole life trying to "do the right thing" and find me and give it back to me. Since it would be impossible to find me, according to your logic the $100 bill would be better off sitting there in the dirt, doing nothing.

Maybe I didn''t give a rattsass about that $100 bill I dropped out the window....and maybe I wanted the next person who found it to keep it and do something good with it.

But listening to you...the person would no doubt blow their brains out because of the guilt and shame. LOL

Man, you people and your shameful urban legends are really amazing. LOL

[dsr57]

your going to heven,for doing a good deed.God will watch over you
thank you
todd

Posted by tenielsen

---------------------------------------------------
I don''t think the Ten Commandments said

"Thou Shall Not Steal From Brinks"