Man finds $10K in Vegas, returns money to owner

[Morg]

http://www.9news.com/news/article/238021/222/Colorado-man-finds-10K-in-Vegas-returns-to-owner

GREENWOOD VILLAGE - Nobody expects to become a saint in Sin City. Mitch Gilbert may have come close.

Gilbert had a winning weekend in Las Vegas in early December, but he came upon some really big money at the airport as he was about to catch a flight home.

Gilbert found $10,000 in two unmarked Caesar's Palace envelopes.

"There was $5,000 in each envelope. I just about fell over, I couldn't believe it," Gilbert said.

He discovered the cash when he opened the envelopes at his home in Greenwood Village.

"If it happened to me I sure would want that back," Gilbert said.

Some may have thought they hit the jackpot, but Gilbert knew he had to return the money.

"I wanted to show my kids the right thing to do. It would have been a lot easier keeping it to be honest with you. But I felt like I had to get it back to the right person," Gilbert said.

He called the airport in Las Vegas, but they would not even take down his name.

"They didn't do that. It was against the rules. I just said, 'Well, I'll keep calling back and I'll give it 30 days,'" Gilbert said.

Gilbert kept his word to continue calling the airport. More than two weeks later, the operator told him a man in El Paso, Texas reported losing two Caesar's Palace envelopes full of cash.

"She goes, 'Well, this is breaking the rules, but you're trying to do the right thing,'" Gilbert said.

9NEWS reached Ignacio Marquez by telephone from his home in El Paso. Marquez says he won the money gambling and dropped it as he was running to catch a flight.

"Relief is an understatement. Cash money is very difficult to get back. I'm very appreciative to Mitch and his family. You do not find people like this," Marquez said.

Marquez knew the odds of someone actually returning $10,000 were pretty slim.

"I will always thank Mitch for doing this. That could have easily just gone south, instead of what happened," Marquez said.

Gilbert deposited the money in Marquez's bank account just two days before Christmas.

"I think he was pretty much in shock. I don't know if he believed it," Gilbert said.

Even though Gilbert's real estate business is slow, he says returning the money was the only option.

"I would have loved to have $10,000. You think about all the bills you can pay. But it didn't belong to me," Gilbert said. "It felt so good to be able to get it back to the guy. I felt like I was floating on air. I felt like a million bucks."

 

[THE MR. TERRIFIC]

Good for him, I think.

 

[Lencho01]

It's sorta like that one episode of Doug.

 

[obin_gam]

would have kept it without a seconds thought. this man is better than me :P

 

[Thebumwhowalks]

He was probably quite well off anyway right? It said he was in Vegas gambling, and had won some money, if he can afford to be flying in on the plane to Vegas to gamble, he will be well off, so he can easily afford to be the good guy here and hand it in.
Now, if it had been someone poor, who found two envelopes of money from Ceasar's palace... in other words, some rich guy's money who is so rich he can gamble at Vegas and win big, then the right thing to do is keep it imo.
They are obviously someone who can afford to lose the money, because what are the chances it was someone poor who won big, next to none.

Now, I heard a story on the radio the other day, about a woman who lost 500pounds and it had been handed into a police station, that of course is the right thing to do. You don't know if that is someone's rent or what, but two envelopes from Ceasar's palace? Fug that noise, keep it, it will probably be some rich twit's money who fritters it away on gambling regularly.

 

[Duke]

It's good for the guy to have returned the money. The person who lost the money should at least give him a small reward.

 

[SuperSoldier985]

He didn't sound like he needed the money any way..

 

[kedrell]

would have kept it without a seconds thought. this man is better than me :P

I agree with the first part but not the second. The guy who lost it did so because of his own foolishness. Now if it had been loot from a robbery or something then maybe I'd feel differently. But if you can't keep track of your own money then you don't deserve to keep it. I'd have kept it and not had a problem with doing so at all.

 

[Duke]

He didn't sound like he needed the money any way..

It just would a symbolic gesture for his honesty.

 

[Iron_Stark]

I would've kept it without a second thought and not felt bad about it.

 

[Lasirius]

It did not belong to him in the first place, it's good that he returned it regardless of if he needed it or not.

 

[Manic]

That some of you would've kept the money without a second thought is just terrible, and it shows how greedy people in this society of ours truly are. I, for one, would've gladly given the man back his missing $8,000.

 

[Erzengel]

I would have tried to return it as well, however if I didn't hear anything after a month, I would have just kept it.

It's funny a poster here found an iPod and used every excuse on why he should keep it because things didn't go his way and he felt like he earned it.

 

[Mace Bloodstone]

Gilbert was bragging on what a good person he is for turning the money in, Ignacio found out and then said the money was his!

 

[Raiden]

I think the person who lost the money should've given Mitch at least $1000 for his honesty. 99% of the people would've ran off with the money probably.

 

[Destructus86]

I'd return it for two reasons...it's the right thing to do. And i'm be afraid someone would find me and break my knee caps or worse.
=D

 

[Duke]

I think the person who lost the money should've given Mitch at least $1000 for his honesty. 99% of the people would've ran off with the money probably.[/QUOTE ]

 

[Erzengel]

If it was any of yours, I would find out what you enjoy and then take pictures of me doing that activity or purchasing what you wanted and then send you those pictures.

 

[Spider-Who?]

He was probably quite well off anyway right? It said he was in Vegas gambling, and had won some money, if he can afford to be flying in on the plane to Vegas to gamble, he will be well off, so he can easily afford to be the good guy here and hand it in.

It's not just the rich and "well off" that go. The vast majority of people who gamble are NOT well off. People - regardless of their financial level - can go on a trip and gamble. It's actually not expensive at all to book a flight to Vegas (especially from Colorado where this guy is from). The article even mentions how his business is doing poorly.

 

[Immortalfire]

He did the right thing

Keeping it would probably come back and bite your rear off at some point.

 

[Wolfwood]

If I were to be completely honest... I might've kept one of the envelopes. I know that's terrible...

 

[Spider-Who?]

Honestly, I think the owner should have given him some of a reward. Kinda *****ey not too.

 

[Ultra Lantern]

If I were to be completely honest... I might've kept one of the envelopes. I know that's terrible...

I would've probably done the same thing.

 

[WalkingDeadMike]

would have kept it without a seconds thought. this man is better than me :P

I would've kept it without a second thought and not felt bad about it.

This. I would've thought it was my lucky day.

 

[Thundercrack85]

Some of the replies have been rather disturbing. Good for this guy. People make mistakes, that doesn't mean they deserve to lose their possessions / money.

They should get the returner something nice.