Dumpster Diver Who Found $20k in Recycled Book Giving Rightful Owner One More Month to Claim It
After giving the owner of a book containing $20,000 five months to claim his treasure, the Massachusetts man who found it in the trash says he's willing to wait one more month.
But then he plans to start spending it.
Carlos, who is holding on to his last name for fear of being hassled by false claimants, made headlines late last year after news of his found fortune went public.
A middle-aged Brazilian immigrant from Marlborough, Carlos was dumpster diving at the Wellesley Recycling and Disposal Facility in search of interesting books and magazines.
And he certainly found one: A hollowed-out hardcover with cutaway pages that concealed some 20,000 dollars in cash.
Thinking the money might belong to an elderly person whose books were discarded by a family member unaware of the makeshift safe deposit box, Carlos decided to place an ad in a local newspaper and wait six months.
Many people have since emailed him, but none have been able to correctly identify the book.
The deadline Carlos set for the book's owner — May 8th — is fast approaching, and the family man, who has several kids of his own, already knows what he's going to spend it on.
In addition to setting some aside for the children's college education, Carlos also wants to donate a portion of it to charity.
Even in the unlikely event that someone does come forward at the last minute, Carlos won't be going home empty-handed.
He says talk show hosts from Ricki Lake to Oprah have reached out to him for an interview. And he's also planning on writing a book called Wellesley Treasure all about the book that changed his life.
