Yeah, I saw this story on CNN. My home was built in 1910 by a doctor, and part of the basement is just dirt. My wife and I joke that we should dig it up and see if he buried any money during the depression.
In college (10 years ago) I worked at a bank as a teller. You'd be amazed at what people bring in. I remember spending one afternoon going through a paper bag filled with burned-up money, trying to salvage as many bills as possible for a customer.
And as far as this guy is concerned, I guarantee that the IRS knows all about him. Any cash amount over $3,000 presented to a bank is reported to the IRS. Amounts over $10,000 get even more paperwork. Which is probably a prime reason why we used to do lots of Money Orders to persons of dubious citizenship for $2,990 cash.
