The Las Vegas cab driver who returned $300,000 he discovered in a paper sack in the backseat of his taxi has received a substantial reward for his honesty.
Gerardo Gamboa discovered the cash in his cab shortly after dropping a poker player off at an area hotel. Although he originally thought the sack was filled with chocolate, the guy later discovered that it contained several bundles of $100 bills. Instead of keeping the money, Gamboa turned everything over to Las Vegas police.
According to The Associated Press , the poker player who lost the dough originally said that he was thinking about giving Gamboa a sizable reward for returning the entire sum of money. Instead of reneging on the offer, the unidentified man thanked the cab driver with a substantial wad of cash.
The Las Vegas cab driver reportedly received $10,000 from the poker player shortly after the story started making the rounds online. This is in addition to the $1,000 and the free steak dinner he received from his employers. Gamboa was also named driver of the year for his unwavering honesty.
The cab driver told KVVU that keeping the money never crossed his mind. As soon as he discovered the cash in his back seat, Gamboa immediately took it to Yellow Checker Star Transportation headquarters to find the man who lost it.
“I don’t care from $10 to higher. My dignity is not for sale, and that’s the way I am. That’s the way our parents taught us when I was a kid,” the cab driver explained.
He added, “All I wanted to do was just call my dispatcher and return it, and this is the only chance I have to show cab drivers in Las Vegas are not bad people.”
The Inquisitr previously reported that the poker player who left the paper sack in the back seat of the taxi was understandably thrilled that Gamboa returned the cash . Not surprisingly, he was pretty upset that he’d misplaced such a large wad of cash.
“He was very understanding; he wasn’t irritated. To a point he was irritated, but he wasn’t mad or aggressive or anything. Maybe a little more embarrassed than anything. I mean, he left $300,000 in a cab, but he was an awesome guy,” Joel Willden explained.
The company reportedly worked with police and officials from a Las Vegas casino to locate the man. Cab company CEO Bill Shranko said everyone took extra precautions to make sure the cash found its way back to the right person.
Las Vegas cab driver Gerardo Gamboa certainly learned that honesty pays.
[Image via Wikimedia Commons ]