For instance if I were to find a wallet that belonged to someone identified in the wallet do I legally need to return it. Or if I were to locate a bag of money somewhere and there was nothing more that an adress written on the bag am I legally responsible to return it?
Or would these fall under the constitutional right of
FINDERS KEEPERS LOSERS WEEPERS
I'm just wondering if its illegal to keep the cash and dump the wallet in a mailbox? I know morally none of you answering this question have never done anything wrong. So dont give me no its the right thing to do bull-oney cause if i cant keep the money for myself i would rather throw the wallet away so nobody gets it. Court of law fact!!!
2007-12-09 04:33:33 · 16 answers · asked by trey6z 3 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
I hate people that can't read!
Leave ethics and emotion out of this answer if you are smart enough to do so!! Legal responce!
2007-12-09 04:39:48 · update #1
it is a larceny. There are three theories of larceny that can get you charged with the crime:
(1) Wrongful taking
(2) Wrongful withholding
(3) Taking with false pretenses.
Your crime is number two. You are withholding funds from their rightful owners and that is a larceny.
Larceny is the taking and carrying away the property of another with the intent of permanently depriving the owner of said property. You are doing it because you have reasonable grounds to identify the owner and are withholding it.
The only constitution I'm familiar with that says "Finders Keepers" is the Constitution of a Third Grade playground, which becomes invalid when you (1) graduate from grade school and/or (2) leave the playground.
At some time in your life, you will lose your wallet, or will lose something...than the law of karma will apply. Best wishes in your decision making.
2007-12-09 04:40:49 · answer #1 · answered by ironjag 5 · 4⤊ 0⤋
There is no "constitutional right of FINDERS KEEPERS LOSERS WEEPERS". The phrase "finders keepers, losers weepers" is a children's saying and is not in the Constitution.
If you leave it were you find it (do not even pick it up and definitely do not remove either the case or the wallet from where you found it), you are probably ok taking no action. You cannot keep or spend the cash. If you do remove either the case or the wallet from where you found it and the person who left it there later returns there to retrieve it (and would have been able to do so if you had not taken it), then they are definitely entitled to it. (There is a special exception having to do with shipwrecks, but I do not think it applies here.)
2007-12-09 05:26:27 · answer #2 · answered by StephenWeinstein 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Ironjag are you a lawyer, and can you verify to keep the money is illegal or just your armchair legal theory. Personally I would keep it, I lost my wallet last year with some money in it, my id, etc, and no one sent it back to me, so yeah I would keep it, and at least take the wallet to police so they could return it.
2014-04-06 09:47:20 · answer #3 · answered by honeydo 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, it is illegal. It's called stealing to take money you know belongs to someone else. Whether or not you can be prosecuted is another story, since there's a burden of proof and no one knows for sure if the money was in the wallet when you found it or not. Personally, I'd have a hard time sleeping at night if I stole someone else's money...
2007-12-09 04:40:49 · answer #4 · answered by Rebeckah 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Sounds like you have already made up your mind to what you want to do. If you keep the money with or without the wallet and are caught it's called stealing. I like most would keep the money and put the wallet in the mailbox, knowing that is was stealing but greed is a stronger thing when no one is looking
2007-12-09 04:38:08 · answer #5 · answered by jean 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Why are you asking the question? You've obviously already made up your mind. You don't want to do the right and moral thing (you don't even want to be reminded that it's the "right thing to do"). All you're trying to do is justify why you kept the money to clear your own conscience.
Just because it's legal doesn't mean it's right.
Follow your conscience. Do the right thing and return the money. You'll feel better about yourself in the long run. -RKO- 12/09/07
2007-12-09 04:43:39 · answer #6 · answered by -RKO- 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
keep the money turn in the wallet or if not sure return the wallet with the cash. you may get a reward.
2007-12-09 04:42:01 · answer #7 · answered by Regina C 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
OK, here's a statute for you, in plain English in fact:
"One who finds lost property under circumstances which give him knowledge of or means of inquiry as to the true owner, and who appropriates such property to his own use, or to the use of another person not entitled thereto, without first making reasonable and just efforts to find the owner and to restore the property to him, is guilty of theft."
California Penal Code section 485.
Your state, if not California, most assuredly has a nearly identical statute, probably titled something like, "misappropriation of lost property."
2007-12-09 04:56:00 · answer #8 · answered by Mr Placid 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It's stealing.....just as if you had picked his pockets and taken the wallet.
"Finder's keepers, loser's weepers" is not a legal defense and won't hold up in court.
Why would anyone want to do it anyway....it doesn't belong to the finder......
2007-12-09 08:12:59 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
lmao there is no constitutional right of finders keepers losers weepers.
it is illegal to keep the money but most of the time it can't be prosecuted b/c there will be no proof you took it.
please send the wallet back to them even if you decide to keep the money
2007-12-09 04:37:52 · answer #10 · answered by ~♥ Sicilia D ♥~ 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋