BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (AP) – A 29-year-old Minnesota man who says he was trying to spread holiday cheer by tossing 1,000 dollar bills over an upper floor railing at the Mall of America has been cited for disorderly conduct.
Serge Vorobyov, of Apple Valley, admitted throwing his “last $1,000” from the fourth floor on Friday as a choir performed “Let it Snow.” Vorobyov said he also kept tossing cash as he continued down the escalator.
Vorobyov said he’s going through a divorce, lost his car hauling business and hoped the positivity of throwing the money would come back to him.
“I wanted to do some sort of pay it forward kind of thing,” Vorobyov said Sunday.
He invited his estranged wife to try to win her back but she didn’t show up, he said.
Instead, Vorobyov was cited by Bloomington police and released at the scene. He also was ordered not to go into the mall for a year.
Vorobyov had stamped the bills with his YouTube address and on his Facebook page he called the event a publicity stunt. When asked why he wanted the publicity, he said he wanted his cat back from his estranged wife.
Mall of America spokeswoman Sarah Schmidt said it’s the first time anyone has ever done something like that in the mall. She said Vorobyov disrupted the performance and could’ve caused a serious situation.
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