Finders of $6 Million Are Not Keepers
When more than $6 million in cash, gold and platinum turned up in the trunk of a rental car left at San Francisco International Airport last year, nearly everyone remotely connected with the discovery stepped forward to claim it.
All, except the federal government and San Mateo County, came up empty.
Affirming a lower court order, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday approved the government’s seizure of the loot, ruling that it had been part of an illegal drug transaction.
Budget Rent-A-Car employees Ann Smith Kamali, Nelson Garrett, and Douglas Stavoe, and security guard Pearl Lampros all claimed to have some part in the October, 1984, find and all sought a share. State Controller Kenneth Cory said California should get the money as unclaimed property, and the state Franchise Tax Board contended it was subject to taxes.
The Justice Department is expected to share the money with the San Mateo County Sheriff under a recent law that allows local agencies to share in property seized in federal investigations.
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