Woman 'flabbergasted' when bank tells her she can't deposit $6k in cash she'd found after misplacing four years ago

A California woman was left 'flabbergasted' when her bank refused to deposit $6,000 in cash she had found after misplacing it four years ago.

Mary Venegas, 66, told CBS Sacramento she put down an envelope containing $6,000 in cash somewhere in her yard back in 2020.

After four years of searching for the cash - which she had initially planned to use to pay off her taxes - she found the envelope on the ground, covered up by cardboard. 

'It was such a good feeling because we had been looking for it for so long,' Venegas said.

But when she went to deposit the cash at her local Bank of America branch - where she has been a loyal customer for decades - the bank refused to accept it because some of the bills suffered water damage and had their corners torn off.

Mary Venegas, 66, said her local bank refused to take $6,000 in cash she had found after misplacing it four years ago

'I was flabbergasted,' she said.

Venegas, who is on a fixed income, had been hoping to use the newfound money to pay off her winter utility bills, which she is still behind on.

'I don't like to owe people, and I don't like to owe at all,' she explained.

'I've been behind on bills I owe, and I'm not the kind of person that likes to owe.'

Venegas put down an envelope containing the $6,000 in cash somewhere in her yard back in 2020, and found it recently on the ground underneath some cardboard

She said the bank refused to accept the money because some of the bills suffered water damage and had their corners torn off

The US Department of the Treasury does exchange mutilated money, but only if half or less of the bill remains, or if it's value is questioned because of its condition.

But the government process could take anywhere from six months to three years to accomplish.

'You know what, I got to be honest. What if I die before I ever received it?' Venegas asked, anxious to get the value for her cash.

'When you get old, you think about all of these - you know, you worry about everything. And I don't like to do that,' she explained.

'But when we found it, we thought, "Oh good, good good. Now we could pay off this and that.'

Bank of America later reconsidered, and accepted $5,700 of the $6,000

Fortunately, investigative reporters at CBS Sacramento realized that more than half of Venegas' bills were still in tact and the value for each bill was clearly stated.

They then asked Bank of America to reconsider its refusal, and bank tellers accepted $5,700 of the $6,000 in cash.

She now has to send the other $300 to the Treasury to get replaced, as she said she has learned 'to have my husband take [the money] to the bank.'

DailyMail.com has reached out to Bank of America for comment.