Police in Minnesota cited a man for disorderly conduct on Friday, after he tossed $1,000 from a balcony in the Mall of America as a choir sang "Let it Snow" below.
Apple Valley resident Serge Vorobyov admitted that he did fan his "last $1,000" from the fourth floor railing, and confirmed that he continued throwing money as he descended on an escalator.
Vorobyov, who is reportedly in the midst of a messy divorce and recently lost his automobile hauling company, told Bloomington police that he wanted to spread cheer for the holidays by tossing cash onto customers below. According to the Associated Press, Vorobyov said he hoped to bolster positive karma - by throwing cash to the mall, it would eventually return to him.
"I wanted to do some sort of pay it forward kind of thing," Vorobyov told the press on Sunday, adding that he'd told his ex-wife to attend the spectacle at the mall, but she never showed.
The bills that Vorobyov tossed from the balcony where marked with his YouTube channel URL and his Facebook page. He reportedly called the occurrence a "publicity stunt," in efforts of getting attention from his estranged wife. When the Associated Press asked him why he wanted all eyes on him, he stated that he wanted his ex to return his pet cat.
But Vorobyov was instead cited by law enforcement officials at the mall, and was banned from entry for an entire year.
According to Mall of America spokesperson Sarah Schmidt, the stunt could have created more dangerous circumstances.
