Friday June 15, 03:26 PM
Idaho: Celebs leaving property unclaimed
BOISE, Idaho (AP) - Idaho owes Demi Moore more than $100.
And if she wants it, she'd better move fast: In just a few days, any unclaimed property that's been languishing in the Idaho State Tax Commission's vaults
for 10 years or longer will be padding the state's general fund.
The sultry actress who lives in Hailey is one of thousands of people with unclaimed property waiting to be collected.
Adam West, the actor who played Batman in the popular 1960s television series, may have forgotten his unclaimed property in an Idaho bat cave years ago. The state estimates its worth at between $50 and $100.
And Idaho's richest resident, billionaire potato magnate J.R. Simplot, could also line his pockets with a little extra cash from the Tax Commission's Unclaimed Property Program. He has between $5 and $25 in unclaimed property waiting in the vaults, according to the commission's Web site.
Perhaps Simplot's son, Don Simplot, should have checked that Web site last year, when he filed bankruptcy. He is listed as having more than $100 -- the maximum amount the commission will list on the Web site.
But that doesn't mean all the claims are small, said Shirley MacPherson, the commission's audit program coordinator. One person listed on Idaho's unclaimed property rolls has more than $1 million waiting to be collected, MacPherson said.
'We were able to track him down and he's well aware that we have his property,' MacPherson said of the individual. 'He has not come forward to date. Gosh -- if he needs our help, we'd be happy to do whatever we can to help him claim that.'
The unidentified millionaire isn't at risk of losing his property this year, because the commission has had it for fewer than 10 years. But under a state law created in 1997, on July 1 all unclaimed property older than that will be boosting the state's coffers. Right now, the old property is valued at more than $16 million.
Most of the unclaimed property is in the form of stocks, bonds, bank accounts, payroll checks, utility deposits and other money, MacPherson said. But the contents of abandoned safety deposit boxes are saved as well. And everything in those boxes -- baseball cards, old cigarette company promotional gear and even gum wrappers -- is under lock and key, being carefully protected by the state should the owner ever want it back.
'We have a 100-year-old hydrometer, which measures the speed and volume of water. We have coin collections. We have things that may not have any meaning to you or I but that may have sentimental value to the owner, like a rock collection, old pocket watches,' MacPherson said. 'I don't throw any of it away.'
Tomato ketchup company H.J. Heinz has more than $100, along with Micron Technology Inc (NYSE: MU - news) ., the University and the University of Washington. DePaul, George Mason, Northwestern Trinity and Queens universities also have unclaimed property, valued at less than $100.
Some descendants of the late author Ernest Hemingway are on the list. Paris Hilton isn't, but some Hilton brand hotels are.
Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, has less than $50, enough for a decent dinner at a restaurant near the nation's capitol.
Olympic gold medal decathlete Dan O'Brien is on the list, joined by former Minnesota Twins and Washington Senators baseball player Harmon Killebrew. Both athletes have property valued at more than $100.
But they shouldn't feel bad about losing track of their money. Even banks -- perhaps especially banks -- are on the list. U.S. Bank and affiliates show up on the list at least seven times. First Security Bank, Key Bank, Farmers and Merchants Bank, even a food bank, are on the list.
'Everyone should check the unclaimed property list on our Web site at tax.idaho.gov to see if they have property that belongs to them or their relatives,' said Melanie Wade, the commission's spokeswoman. 'If your name is on the list, fill out a claim form as soon as possible to get the money.'
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