Registered: Aug 2000
Location: In a Blue, Blue State
Posts: 12547

Gas tank gold to burn off debts

Krugerrands worth $28,259 will go toward child support and alimony after the man who hid them draws police scrutiny.
By WAVENEY ANN MOORE, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published February 12, 2003


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ST. PETERSBURG -- In times of uncertainty, some folks stuff cash inside a mattress. James P. Steiner chose the gas tank of his 1990 Dodge van.

That's where his 77 Krugerrands -- 1-ounce gold coins worth $28,259 -- remained until Steiner decided it was time to make a withdrawal.

Because banks don't handle this type of transaction, he pulled in to the Tire Plus store on Tyrone Boulevard. Mechanics removed the tank, and Steiner began to withdraw his coins, each about the size of a silver dollar.

That's when things started going bad for Steiner.

A bit suspicious, workers called police.

Steiner, 35, owed his ex-wife child support and did not want her to know about the money, according to police. He also had concerns about what the IRS would do upon discovery of the Krugerrands, a gold coin of South Africa, often used for investment.

Reached by phone Tuesday, Steiner refused to comment, except to dispute the police report.

His ex-wife, though, had plenty to say.

Cathy Young said she was shocked that her former husband "was driving around with $25,000, $26,000 in his tank . . . and he hasn't even helped with the kids."

Young, 34, said she married Steiner a month after she turned 19, and the couple had two sons, now both teenagers. She also has two daughters, one 3 and other 4 months old, with her second husband, Jim Young, 38, a construction worker.

She recalled the day in early December when police showed up at her door.

"He was arrested on Dec. 6, which I believe was a Friday, and the police came to me that Sunday," she said.

"The first officer that came out wouldn't tell me a whole lot," she said. "He just said that my ex-husband had been arrested with some gold coins and a large amount of cash, and that the two officers handling the case would contact me later that evening.

"The others came out and they had Polaroid pictures of the coins in the evidence room," she said. "They had them all laid out in a row . . . and they told me the story."

According to St. Petersburg police, officers went to Tire Plus at 2800 Tyrone Blvd. The mechanic had removed the tank, and Steiner had retrieved the coins and dropped them into a milk carton.

The store manager called the police to report the incident and to say that Steiner was causing a disturbance. Tire Plus employees declined to comment Tuesday, but court records indicate Steiner was annoyed because his car would not start.

When police arrived, they searched Steiner and his vehicle. In addition to the Krugerrands, they found $831 in his wallet and a shirt pocket.

Police said Steiner gave several versions of how he acquired the coins, including that he had purchased them and that they were a gift from his father. It was unclear how long the coins had been in the gas tank.

According to the police report, Steiner "placed the coins into the gas tank . . . because he was paranoid about his ex-wife or someone else finding out."

Steiner, whom police reports say was unemployed at the time, was arrested on outstanding warrants over unpaid parking tickets and an altered temporary auto tag.

A few days later, during a child support hearing, the court ordered the appointment of a special master to sell the coins. The court said the sale should be applied to the $19,640.14 in child support, $5.761.40 in alimony and more than $8,000 in interest.

None the worse for being stored in a gas tank, police said, the coins were picked up by the special master a few days ago.

Police say that Steiner currently faces no charges.
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What a moron!

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Beatrice, Nebraska
Posts: 18490

You could just do what my dad did and drag the divorce out over a period of time.

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Posts: 10178

hmm, i owe $10,000 in child support atm, and my kid only 4. I also provide half of his support, yet my bill still goes up over $500 every month.

You're not getting the whole story here.

(p.s. what do her kids from another marriage have anything to do with shit? what's the purpose of even mentioning them?)

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Registered: Mar 2002
Location: Mountains
Posts: 4689

damn Dingle.. that's rather a lot.. and if you can really only pay half how did you some to that agreement? have you tried contesting it.. or having it recalculated?
my ex owes me about $7500 right now.. but he's only supposed to pay $450 a month (which he doesn’t pay) and then $200 alimony (which he doesn’t pay.. but which also accumulates interest).. it's an amount he can pay.. to ask for some exorbitant amount would be pointless.

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Registered: Aug 2000
Location: In a Blue, Blue State
Posts: 12547

I can understand child support, but alimony is a ridiculous and stupid concept. It should be made illegal in all 50 states. Thank God I live in a state where alimony doeesn't exist.

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Registered: Mar 2002
Location: Mountains
Posts: 4689

quote:

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Originally posted by billgerat
I can understand child support, but alimony is a ridiculous and stupid concept. It should be made illegal in all 50 states. Thank God I live in a state where alimony doeesn't exist.

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