Lost and Found

[wdavninja]

State (would rather not say at this time - for obvious reasons) I am not sure if this is the correct place to ask this question, so forgive me if I've goofed.

I have a relative that has found a very-very large sum of money in their bank account. The family is wondering what are the legal implications of this new found windfall?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ALawyer]

Using that money would be theft.

Absent a basis in fact to believe the money is rightfully your friend's, the CRIMINAL laws treat this as theft. They certainly help motivate people to do "the right thing".

And as banks eventually trace nearly all of these misapplications, the "friend" will likely be caught.

Just in case "your friend" intends to skip the country and attempt to retire in a place with no extradition treaty, there are lots of cases when after the bank finds the mistake and learns the "early retiree" is in, say Brazil or Afghanastan, although there may be no extradition, it indirectly enlists the assistance of local folks to collect it from the friend (often thru shady investigators and corrupt local officials) . Those guys don't pay much attention to due process and have ways to "enourage" the new retiree to pay back the ill gotten gains.