Employee feeling guilty repays state for wasting time

A guilt-ridden employee surprised the state Treasurer's Office Thursday with $30 cash.

The worker, identified only as "a UNLV employee" said in a note the money was to repay the state for time wasted on the job.

"The other day at work, I was wasting time and thus, unjustly taking money from the Nevada taxpayers," it said.

The note explained the $30 cash was "compensation for this time and other times I have done such things. I cannot remember all of the times I have done this, nor calculate how much money was wasted as a result, but please accept this feeble attempt at restitution and add this back into the state budget."

Treasurer Kate Marshall said it's impossible to return the money since the employee carefully failed to identify him or herself. The only identification on the envelope was an address for a religious Web site displaying a brief yes-or-no test to determine if the test-taker qualifies to go to heaven, including a question about being guilty of stealing.

Marshall said her immediate problem is figuring out exactly how to treat the money.

She has asked the office's deputy attorney general for guidance.

Marshall said if possible, she'd like to treat the money as a contribution to the college savings program. She said that would be appropriate since the worker is employed at UNLV.