Wayne Sabaj, Man Who Turned In $150,000 Found In Yard, Gets New Teeth (VIDEO)

An unemployed Illinois man who found $150,000 stashed in his backyard over the summer was criticized by some for turning the duffle bag of cash over to the police. Though Johnsburg's Wayne Sabaj could have used the cash, he said at the time that keeping it wouldn't have been the right thing to do.

"I haven't worked in two years. Yeah, I was like, I could really use this money," the man told ABC Chicago in August. "With my luck, it would be bank robbery and I'd get caught and say I'd robbed a bank."

Sabaj's story made national headlines, and many wondered what the unemployed carpenter would do with the cash if he were able to keep it. The first thing he would do? Get his teeth fixed, he told the Chicago Tribune.

When Dr. Xhelo Shuaipaj heard Sabaj's story, he was touched and decided to help. Shuaipaj's Elite Dental Care Centers based in suburban Downers Grove offered to fix Sabaj's teeth for free.

“(The dentist) must be a nice guy to turn around and do (this) for me. I was just glad to hear it,” Sabaj told My Suburban Life. “My teeth are terrible. I have no front teeth. The rest are loose and they all hurt,” he said.

Sabaj reportedly needs dentures, and made his first visit to the dental office Monday. Gaurav Malhotra, Marketing Director for Elite, told HuffPost Chicago that Sabaj should have his new dentures in by mid-November.

"Somebody asked him, what would you do with that money? Boy, if I could keep that money, his name is Wayne, he said, I would get my teeth fixed 'cause I've had trouble with my teeth. So when we heard that, we said that was a really nice thing he did. We want to pay it forward," Dr. Shuaipaj told ABC Chicago.

The money has not been claimed, and it could go to Sabaj if no one comes forward by late 2012.

Check out Sabaj's teeth before the dental work here. Stay tuned for photos of his brand new grill:

Comments

[djtoothdecay]

12:51 PM on 10/27/2011

Get 'em Wayne!! Can't wait to see your new grill!

[Stretch Limousine]

08:44 PM on 10/26/2011

l guess nobody noticed on Monday but Wayne arrived for his dental exam in style in one of beautiful limos. The time company in Chicago, Stretch Limousine Inc. donated their limo services.
http://stretchlimochicago.com/

[stemrc]

04:31 PM on 10/26/2011

Id bet that no one sat there and held you at gun point demanding that you view them all.

[mcds]

12:08 PM on 10/26/2011

What a thoughtful thing to do...thumbs up to the dentist and his marketing director!

[waynecourt1]

12:03 PM on 10/26/2011

I hope they do an update to this story with his new teeth

[sunandmoonlover4]

12:15 PM on 10/26/2011

He didn't have a job, so how do you propose that he gets his teeth fixed?

[Mickey Bitsko]

10:52 AM on 10/26/2011

I am reminded of the virtues of a simple man in this quote:

"Knowing people is being intelligent,
Knowing self is being enlightened.
Victorious over people is being powerful,
Victorious over self is being invincible.
Those who are content are submerged in wealth,
Those who are contentious are submitted to ambitions,
Those who do not forget their principles endure,
Those who die but are not forgotten live on."

A simple lesson taught by a simple man.

[ggliddygirl2005]

10:48 AM on 10/26/2011

I hope these protesters get a load of this story because it's assumed that doctors make a lot of money and here this doctor is doing a pricey procedure without charging the man a dime or claiming it against any insurance company. Yes, he'll probably write it off his taxes but that's his right and he should do that but the bigger picture here is that unless you're the one with your hand out ... it's the wealthier Americans who give the most because they can. Very few wealthy Americans are greedy because it wasn't greed that got them where they are (unless they're in jail for shady business). I want to be one of the most wealthiest Americans but I don't want to be punished for working my butt off to make a better life for my family like this dentist must have done. He went to school, sacrificed time with friends and family, worked the long hours and pays his overpriced malpractice insurance premiums and probably eats quite a bit of cost because every dentist is faced with the person who doesn't have insurance or money to pay for procedures they need. This dentist probably does charity work like this elsewhere ... who knows? My point is that sometimes our wealthier brothers and sisters do things for others that we don't know about yet they're assaulted and badgered by these morons who defecate on the streets of NYC and on our American flag like a herd of animals.

[Octoberfurst]

12:44 PM on 10/26/2011

ggliddygirl2005, you really have no clue what the Occupy Movement is all about do you? I am sure you got your talking points from Fox News but you really need to educate yourself. The OWS movement is NOT against people having money. It is against a system where corporations use their money and influence to get Congress to write laws that favor them and basically screw over the middle class and the poor. Jobs are being sent overseas and workers wages and benefits are being slashed while corporations are raking in billions in profits. The OWS movement just wants people to have a chance at the American dream.

[cindithegreek]

01:42 PM on 10/26/2011

You are sure she got her info from FOX? Pretty presumptuous and rather rude. She has a good point and shes right....No need to be condescending to her.

[patardugno]

10:48 AM on 10/26/2011

Can they cure that pyareah? He can't even wear dentures with inflamed & recieded gums like that! Maybe the dentist should have done a check up before he offered.

[jer500]

10:47 AM on 10/26/2011

I would like to applaud the generosity of the doctors who are helping this man! Your genuine concern for this man's welfare should not go unnoticed. This is the kind of story that people should read about each day because this world sometimes seems cruel and unfair. It is people like you that can turn this world around. Most importantly, though, is the fact that this man turned in the money he found. He knew he had to do the right thing by turning it in and this lead him to people who also knew they should do the right thing and help this man. What a story! Thank you to all the people that put a smile on my, and I'm sure, other people's faces today. It's like sunshine on a cloudy day!! THANK YOU!

[AbbyB123]

10:45 AM on 10/26/2011

Stories like this help to restore my increasingly wavering faith in mankind. I applaud this guy who could have easily kept the money, and the kind dentist. I hope that no one comes forward so that the guy can keep the money. He deserves it!

[irish122828]

10:44 AM on 10/26/2011

What I find sad was the sentence that said this guy was "criticized by some for turning the duffle bag of cash over to the police". It wasn't his money. If no one can prove its their money then he gets to keep it. Scarey that there are so many a-moral people running around.
That said, it's really nice to see that there are good people in this world. The guy himself, and the dentist who saw the story and is offering to fix his teeth. These are the kind of storie that I like to see more of! Good luck to this guy and God bless this dentist. By the way, is the dentist Albanian-American...? Just curious!

[patardugno]

10:43 AM on 10/26/2011

Well, where do I file a claim to that money, cause I have some really good uses for it, & I would rather pay it backward!!! I am sure it was a gift from God to me, & it just got lost in delivery!!! please send it to [e-mail] I need it for a business loan,...or at least some of it!!

[Anne71]

10:43 AM on 10/26/2011

Hmmm, a bag of $150,000.00 in your yard!! Sounds like someone had to dump it in a hurry, which means it is probably from something illegal, so hopefully it won't be claimed and he will get to keep it!! What a great story though, it really does give you a little faith in humanity.

[pjloan]

10:43 AM on 10/26/2011

I am proud of Wayne Sabaj for turning in that money when its so obvious his life was in such a dire need for cash. Also, the dentist for showing us all there is such a thing as compassion and kindness still left in this society.

I do have some concerns, however, that if that cash was ill gotten and just being temporarily placed there by some bad guys, that they don't take out their losses on this poor guy some dark night later on. So let's just hope that isn't the case. Either way he did the right thing and for that we applaud him and his righteous character.

[WyckedNite]

05:05 PM on 10/26/2011

The bad guys coming back idea, here's the GOOD thing about that: if the money was placed there by some bad guys (which is probably the case), it is now WELL-publicized that Sabaj no longer has the money, so it would do no good to attempt to go back to him and rough him up in order to get their money back!