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

(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.

[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.