Fayetteville man receives last paycheck in oil-covered pennies dumped on his driveway

FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. - A Fayetteville man said his last paycheck from his former employer came in the form of over 90,000 oil- or grease-covered pennies dumped on his driveway.

Andreas Flaten said he left his job at A OK Walker Autoworks in November 2020. He said he was supposed to get his final paycheck, but was having difficulty getting it.

Flaten said he even contacted the Georgia Department of Labor to get help.

In mid-March, Flaten said he finally received the $915 he was owed, but it was not in the form he was expecting.

Flaten said he was leaving his home to go to the store when he noticed the pile of oil-covered pennies. He said on top of the pile was an envelope that said "f--- you" and contained his last paystub.

"This is a childish thing to do," Flatten said.

The pennies now sit in a wheelbarrow inside his garage. The weight of the pennies has deflated the tires of the wheelbarrow.

"If I’ve done my math correctly, 91,515 pennies should come out to be about -- at two and a half grams each -- about 504 pounds," Flaten said.

Flaten said his new routine is now to sit in his garage at night and clean off the pennies with a solution of dish soap, vinegar, and water. Even with the solution, it's hard to get the pennies clean.

He said it took him about an hour and a half to clean off several hundred.

"I think that’s going to be a lot of work for money I’ve already worked for," he said. "It’s going to be hours upon hours of just thing to clean this money up so that it’s even able to be spent. It’s definitely not fair at all."

Flaten said he's concerned the oil or grease will be harmful to the environment. He has fruit trees in his backyard and a freshwater creek just about 100 feet away. He said he was concerned the oil would slide down his driveway and make its way into the water.

FOX 5 did speak with the owner of the business over the phone. He said he paid Flaten in U.S. currency and did not want to be a part of the story.

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