Police said the cash was accidentally left at the machine during servicing and has since been recovered by Bank of America.
LEWISVILLE, TX— A 37-year-old Lewisville man returned $128,514 in cash after finding bags of money at a Bank of America ATM on West Main Street, leading police to an unusual case in which every dollar was ultimately returned to its owner.
The discovery happened around 10 a.m. Aug. 3, when the man and a 42-year-old woman went to the ATM to withdraw money. Lewisville police said they found a large bag containing $128,514 in cash and a smaller bag containing 19 checks. Information with the bags initially led the man to believe the money might belong to a nearby Chick-fil-A, so he tried to return it there before contacting police.
A manager at the restaurant told the man the money did not belong to the business. Police said the man then called 911 so officers could secure the cash and determine where it came from. The man, a Lewisville barber who has asked not to be publicly identified, did not seek attention for returning the money.
Police found a bank receipt inside the cash bag showing that it was supposed to contain $128,514. Officers counted the money twice and also used a digital currency counter to verify the amount. The total matched the receipt, meaning none of the cash was missing when officers took possession of it. The money was then sealed and secured in the Lewisville Police Department’s property room.
Investigators determined that the cash belonged to Bank of America and had been handled by the bank’s cash vendor, Brinks. Police said a technician servicing the ATM was supposed to remove the money but apparently left it behind. Investigators found no indication that the bags or the money were connected to criminal activity.
Lewisville Police Chief Brook Rollins said finding that much unattended cash was unusual, particularly when there was no crime behind its appearance at the ATM. Police Detective Gina Miller also said she had handled cases in which people returned wallets, identification cards and other lost property, but had never dealt with someone voluntarily turning in more than $128,000.
The man made an effort to locate the owner before officers arrived. Rollins said the citizen took the money directly to the business he initially believed owned it, then contacted authorities after learning that assumption was wrong. Bank of America later recovered the cash, and the bank said it had expressed its gratitude to the man.
Brinks declined to discuss details of the incident, saying it generally does not comment on law enforcement matters involving the safety of its employees or others. Police said their investigation indicated that the money had simply been left behind accidentally while the ATM was being serviced.
The episode also raised the question of what could have happened if someone had found the money and decided to keep it. Lewisville police said a person who finds property has a responsibility to make a reasonable effort to return it and that keeping the cash in this case could have led to a felony-level theft allegation. No such issue arose because the man immediately began trying to find the rightful owner.
Police are considering recognizing the man for his actions. He has indicated that he would attend a private ceremony if the department honors him, while continuing to avoid public attention. With Bank of America having recovered the $128,514, police said the unusual case ended without a robbery, theft or missing cash.
Author note: Last updated Oct. 1, 2026.