The Cupertino Courier

Shopper makes grand discovery

By Michelle Alaimo

Bing Kwong Tam picked up more than he bargained for while shopping at Marina Foods on Stevens Creek Boulevard Sept. 15. Tam noticed a bag sitting alone in a shopping cart, and inside was more than $1,000 in cash.

Without a witness around, Tam took the money, put it in his car and drove off to the Westside Substation in Saratoga, where he is a resident.

"It's not my money," Tam said. "I didn't want to give the money to the wrong people."

When he first opened the bag, he saw a lot of money and closed it again without even counting the bills.

Sheriff's Department officials said Tam was only concerned that the $1,022.82 in small, nonsequential bills reach its proper owner and didn't even inquire about a reward.

Cupertino resident David Leu, who owns a Fosters Freeze in Boulder Creek, where the money was from, said he plans to give Tam some kind of reward for returning his money. Leu said he brought the bag of cash into the store because he didn't want to leave it in the car. After doing a little shopping, he planned to go to the bank and make a deposit.

About 10 minutes after leaving the store, he discovered he didn't have his deposit bag with him. After asking the store's cashiers and manager if the money had been turned in, he said, he gave up and didn't think he would ever see the money again.

"It's refreshing that integrity is still the main concern for some people," Sgt. Michael Van Leiden said. "It goes to show you that integrity is still alive."

The money was later returned to Leu, who was able to identify what was in the bag all the way down to the two silver dollars. The Sheriff's Department was able to trace the money back to the owner because of a phone number and business name imprinted on the bag.

"I'm very appreciative to Bing for his honest behavior," Leu said. "I'm very thankful because I own a small business and can't afford to lose $1,000."

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