Man Secretly Left Behind $11 Million When He Died in 2016

A Chicago man who died in 2016 secretly left behind $11 million, marking the biggest unclaimed property within the nation.

Joseph Stancak’s 119 family members have acquired the tens of millions, the Office of Illinois State Treasurer mentioned in a information launch earlier this month.

A majority of his members of the family stay in Poland and Slovakia, the state treasurer mentioned, noting that his dad and mom had been additionally born in Poland. Nonetheless, seven family members had been situated within the Chicago space whereas others had been present in New Jersey, New York and Minnesota.

Stancak was discovered useless in his residence within the Gage Park neighborhood on Dec. 23, 2016. He was 87.

“Little is thought about how Mr. Stancak accrued such wealth so quietly, though he did personal a ship named “Simple,” “the company added.

He by no means had any youngsters. Although he had seven siblings, all of them died earlier than him and they didn’t have youngsters both.

“As a result of Mr. Stancak and his siblings by no means had youngsters, the Stancak property needed to establish household by means of his dad and mom — basically going up the household tree earlier than going again down,” the treasurer’s workplace mentioned.

Treasurer Michael Frerichs added of Stancak’s family members, “This can be a life-changing sum of money. I solely want we knew extra about Mr. Stancak.

“It’s unclear how Mr. Stancak accrued such wealth,” the company continued. “In 2019, quite a lot of investments started to be turned over to the treasurer’s workplace as unclaimed property; such investments usually are surrendered if the proprietor has not had contact in three years and the funding agency is unable to find the proprietor.”

Stancak’s neighbors instructed CBS News that he was a quiet man who didn’t spend a ton of cash and even repaired his residence himself.

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Lawyer Kenneth Piercy is serving because the administrator of Stancak’s property. He bought the treasurer’s workplace consideration after he filed a declare and the company noticed the excessive quantity. “It’s a nice privilege to have the ability to help the heirs in accumulating their rightful inheritance,” Piercey mentioned within the launch.

Piercy didn’t instantly reply to PEOPLE’s request for remark however he instructed Block Club Chicago that the data return “5 generations deep” and embody “dwelling cousins a few times eliminated in lots of nations.”

“In my workplace I’ve a scroll 15 toes lengthy that may go throughout all the room,” Piercey instructed the outlet. “I’ve by no means seen a case this sophisticated earlier than.”

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The treasurer’s workplace defines unclaimed property as cash left sitting in a checking account for years, life insurance coverage advantages that have not been paid out, or gadgets left in a secure deposit field.

Earlier than Stancak’s property turned the biggest in unpaid property, the very best quantity was $8.1 million, which went to a suburban automobile components producer, the treasurer’s workplace mentioned. The best quantity given to at least one particular person was $5 million to a girl in Cook dinner County again in 2013.