A man who died six years ago secretly left an $11 million fortune to his family.
Joseph Richard Stancak, from Chicago, passed away just before Christmas back in 2016, aged 87.
Following his death, the Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs stumbled across a huge fortune he had left behind, and got to work trying to return it to his 119 heirs, the majority of whom live in Poland.
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Well, six years on from Mr Stancak's death, the department has confirmed that the $11m (£10m) has now been fully returned to his estate.
Speaking about the mysterious case, Mr Frerichs said his team weren't even sure how he made his money, though he noted that Mr Stancak did have a boat, which he'd called 'Easy'.
In a press release, Mr Frerichs said: "This is a life-changing amount of money. I only wish we knew more about Mr. Stancak."
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According to the Treasurer, Mr Stancak was born in Chicago in August of 1929 and last lived in a house on South Troy Street where he was found on 23 December 2016.
His parents were born in Poland but moved to the US, marrying at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Passaic, New Jersey, on 27 November 1909.
Mr Stancak has six siblings, though none of them had any children of their own.
He was the last surviving member of the immediate family.
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Earlier this year, it was reported that a woman had been blocked from accessing her AUD $12 million fortune until she got a job.
Clare Brown, who lives with her wife in Sydney’s western suburbs, was on welfare and was told that she could only access her father's trust fund if she got a job or volunteered and contributed to society.
"One clause was to get a job. The second clause was to contribute something to society. Tick those two boxes and access all the money you like," she told A Current Affair.
However, the former private schoolgirl claimed that employers wouldn't consider her for a role because she is gay, and that she struggle to hold down work due to having ADHD and high-functioning autism.
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Clare added: "I understand why these people want me to be a functioning member of society, however, you have to look at my diagnosis and realise that is not going to happen.
"I am not going to learn how to drive because I have ADHD. I have the attention span of a gnat."
She also claimed that the relatives who control her father's estate were spreading lies about her to deny her access to the funds, including that she trashed his $5 million waterfront property in Darling Point while living there.
Her father passed away earlier this year, leaving behind funds accumulated while working as a successful stock broker.
Topics: US News
Dominic Smithers