Whatever the law states, there are plenty of people who would simply keep $27,000 if they ever found it on the street. However, one good samaritan showed some serious virtue when he turned in the large sum of money, right after picking it up!
Mysterious Black Box
When an armored security guard finished unloading cases of cash into an ATM, they packed up and went on their merry way. Unfortunately, they failed to notice that they left one of the boxes of money behind! Of course, as the box showed no indication of the treasure that lay within, most people just walked by the case of money. Until George Condash, that is.
“I drove right around here, and it was sitting about right here,” said Condash. “Well, first, I just thought it was trash. For some reason, it hit me that, why don’t I just pick this up, so no one else has to swerve around it?”
That’s when he saw the writing on the box: “$40,000.” While he’s probably not the first person to find over $20,000 on the street, Condash is likey the first person to immediately decide to turn it in. After taking one look at the box, the good samaritan immediately jumped in his truck and brought the box to the Westland Federal Credit Union.
Turning It In
Condash walked right into Westland Federal Credit Union without a second’s hesitation and returned the funds. “And I put it on their counter, and they just looked dumbfounded,” he recalled. At first, as you might imagine, the workers at the credit union could not believe Condash’s tale. Low and behold, however, it turned out to be true. Nearly $27,000 lay inside the box – exactly the right amount (the security firm had used the other $13,000 to restock the ATM).
Even though Condash had no idea, the ATM camera also captured his great deed. So why did he do such a great act? Well, later, the good samaritan said that even if he wanted to take this money, $27,000 is not much, and he would feel guilty for the rest of his life.
Token Of Appreciation
After selflessly returning his find, George Condash truly deserved a reward. And he got one! While the amount wasn’t revealed, the Credit Union called it a “token” of gratitude. “That was a lot of money that could have resulted in a significant loss, and we just wanted to give him a token of our appreciation,” said Alicia Stewart, the bank’s manager.
“I would hope that the average person would turn that in, but not everybody thinks that way. Not everybody is cognizant of the cameras around them,” Stewart continued, praising Condash.
As Condash took the envelope and looked inside, he seemed happy with his little reward. After all, he wasn’t expecting it in the first place and was just pleased by being a good person. “It’s not mine, and any honest person, I would hope, would take it back in,” he said afterward.