MovieChat Forums > A Simple Plan (1999) Discussion > You never try and keep found money like ...

You never try and keep found money like this

posted 9 years ago by Vashramana
9 replies | jump to latest

That much money almost always belongs to someone nefarious. Even turning it in to the authorities would not be a wise decision. Your best bet is to just walk away and hope nobody saw you near it.

[–] janet-conant 8 years ago

Hank has killed 4 people and just because he thinks the money could be traced he burns it all. Why he's not considered a suspect especially in the Lou and wife murders is baffling.

[–] db20db (17235) 6 years ago

His suggested cover story to Jacob after the shooting, that Lou and his wife were "both drunk and started arguing", would have eventually crumbled. She was the only sober one there and an actual investigation would have eventually uncovered that.

[–] ExTechOp (2770) 3 years ago

Good point about turning it in. That's what I'd have done -- too much cash to safely launder and who knows, if no one ever claims it, I might get it back.

But that amount of money consisting of all $100 bills has to be criminal in some way

So decent chance that, if you turn it in, the criminals will come after you.

They'd assume you think like they think after all, and they might assume you held some back (that they can then steal from you).

Safest bet is just walk away.

[–] HarlemEagle42 (17735) 2 years ago

"....Even turning it in to the authorities would not be a wise decision."

Why not. It's their problem now.

[–] ExTechOp (2770) 2 years ago

Why not. It's their problem now

Because what if some other bad guy took some of it before you found it?

The bad guys will assume YOU took what's missing and come after YOU

Same as finding tons of drugs in a crashed plane ... don't even TOUCH it and stay the hell AWAY

[–] ATG6 (3000) 2 years ago

Except in this case there's nothing to tie you to the money. Just move out of town before you start spending it.

[–] ExTechOp (2770) 2 years ago

Just move out of town before you start spending it.

Which is exactly what Hank COULD have done, were it not for Jacob and Lou as his idiot partners.

He wouldn't even have to move out of town. Just stash the money away and forget about it. It'd be like not having it at all.

Then, after any applicable statutes of limitations have expired (for theft, for tax evasion, etc.), Hank could start spending it modestly without fear. Or just save it for his daughter's future.

Yeah ... there's no real story here without Jacob and Lou being involved.

[–] PaladinNJ (21510) 2 years ago

The money was marked. That’s why he burned it. The minute he passed one of the marked bills the authorities would have had him. And he would have been implicated in all the murders.

[–] ExTechOp (2770) 2 years ago

He'd be implicated in all the murders, but not enough to be prosecuted. They have the actual kidnapper's gun having killed both Carl and Jacob. They have Lou and his wife's guns having killed each other. Hank might be suspected, but there's not enough to prosecute him.

At worst, he'll have committed theft by receiving stolen goods (5-year statute of limitations) and tax evasion (6-year statute of limitations).

After six years, he could spend the money with impunity, marked or not.

But he doesn't want to any more. The money killed his brother, in his mind.