He's Trying To Give Away Nearly $4 Million Today

Don Kent is trying to give away $4.1 million, and he's having a difficult time.

As of December, his department of the Riverside County government, the treasurer-tax collector's office, had 7,400 four year-old refunds for property taxes that people have not claimed. After four years, the unclaimed refunds expire and become the county's money. 

At the suggestion of Supervisor Jeff Stone, the Riverside County Board Of Supervisors on Dec. 14 even allowed Kent to extend the deadline for claiming the money until Jan. 18.

"So far we have only eight new claims," said Kent in a telephone interview on Dec. 30. "They haven't been verified yet, so I don't know if all eight are valid."

By law, the money that goes unclaimed by Jan. 18 will go into the county's general fund —"and once it has moved to the general fund, it's gone. There can be no late claims," Kent said.

The County of Riverside has posted a list of unclaimed property tax refunds on its website.

The list is searchable my name or assessment.

Kent has $224.64 just waiting for Lake Elsinore Ford. Lake Elsinore Peony Inc. is owed $702.28.

Not all the amounts due are chump change. A person by the name of John D. Siegmund is owed $2,001.98. Susan Lee is due $1,253.35.

Stockholders might be perturbed at the number of major corporations on the list, albeit for sums "that might be a nominal amount for them, though it's significant to you or me," Kent said. The publicly traded companies on the refund list include Boeing, Bridgestone Firestone, Chase Manhattan Mortgage Company, Big Lots, Lenscrafters, cable giant Viacom, and Culligan—hey, Culligan Man, pick up your dough!

There are even nonprofits on the list. Salvation Army can collect $2,800 without ringing a bell, and an amicable refund totaling more than $700 is awaiting Friends of the Desert Mountain.

Robertson's Ready Mix has not been ready to get the more than $10,000 it has coming.

It must not be tres chic to pick up a tax refund. Tommy Hilfiger has passed on more than $5,000 it has coming, and Kent's office is into Tommy Bahama for almost $10,000 in unclaimed money.

If you find yourself on Kent's list, don't expect quick cash. You must submit a claim form and the treasurer-tax collector's staff must verify it. The office will process them as quickly as its workload allows.

"It could be several weeks between receipt of the claim and when we submit the verified claim to the Assessor's office, which actually cuts the check," Kent said.

There was no sorrow in Kent's voice as he discussed the pile of cash he's trying to get rid of.

"We would love to get this money back in the hands of the people who deserve to have it," he said.

And the situation could be worse.

"At one point, the state of California's unclaimed property tax totaled $4 billion," Kent said.