Junkman's Big Reward
The junk man who rescued 52 stolen Oscars from a Koreatown trash heap in Los Angeles accepted a $50,000 reward Thursday from Roadway Express, the shipping company that was supposed to deliver the statuettes.
KCBS-TV in Los Angeles reports Willie Fulgear, who made a living salvaging discarded machine parts, said he'd like to use the money to make a down payment on a home for his 22-year-old son Allen.
As an added reward, Fulgear got to attend the actual Oscar ceremony, and was introduced by host Billy Crystal. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences invited Fulgear to the awards show, traditionally the most sought-after ticket in Hollywood.
"If anybody tells you honesty don't pay, send them to me, said Fulgear during Thursday's reward presentation. "I'm a poor man and I stumbled across, I guess, gold. And I gave it back."
A week ago, Fulgear, 61, made a living selling discarded machine parts. Now he hopes his "golden" find will get him a book contract or a movie about his life.
"This has really turned things around for me," he said earlier at his one-room apartment about a block from the parking lot where he found the missing Oscars.
Roadway Express decided to present Fulgear with the money after the Los Angeles Police Department concluded he had nothing to do with the theft. "We do want to thank him and reward him for his honesty and important role he played in ensuring that the show goes on," Vice President T.J. O'Connor said.
A Roadway truck driver has been charged with stealing 55 Oscar statuettes from a warehouse March 8. Three of the figures are missing.
Allen Fulgear, a security guard in the city's fashion district, was overcome with emotion after learning his father would get the reward. "My dad has always been a silent hero, the one that nobody ever talks about. I think the good guy finally wins one here," he said.
The elder Fulgear said he hopes the publicity will also help him find Allen's mother, whom he hasn't seen since they split in 1983. "I'd like my son to know his mother," he said.