Students discover $40,000 stuffed inside sofa but return it to original owner

Three students in New York were awarded $1,000 for their honesty.

16:28 16 May 2014

Three students from upstate New York found $40,000 cash stashed inside a $20 second hand sofa they bought from a charity shop and, despite the massive return on investment, decided to return the money to the owner. 

 

The housemates discovered the envelopes hidden in the couch in March. 

 

Little Rebellion, a student-run news blog at the State University of New York at New Paltz, reported that initially, Reese Werkhoven, Cally Guasti and Lara Russo could not believe their luck. 

 

However, after they found the woman’s name on an envelope, they decided to contact her and return her money the next day. They found out that the sofa was donated by the widow’s relatives without her knowing it. 

 

Ms Guasti told the Little Rebellion: "When we handed the money back to the woman, she told us that she felt like her (late) husband was present in the room with us."

 

The three housemates were rewarded $1000 for their honesty.