Justin Cauley, or Justin the Plumber, found piles of cash and checks on the wall of Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church and alerted the staff. The discovery was revealed when the Plumber called a Houston radio show on Thursday. The plumber told KPRC that while business has been going up and down during the pandemic for him and his young family, “this money is going to help tremendously. The plumber told co-host George Lindsey that after making the discovery, he notified a maintenance person at the church and “handed everything over.
Over the weekend, the plumber said he was “a little upset that Osteen allegedly didn't contact or reference Cauley during his services at Lakewood. A plumber says he found a large amount of money on a wall while he was working at the church in November. He said the show went on a commercial break to confirm that the caller wasn't making a joke and then let the plumber tell his story on air. Representatives from Lakewood Church said in a statement to KPRC-TV that they are grateful to the plumber and expect him to pay the gift forward.
The plumber, who identified himself only as Justin, revealed that he had found the money when he called “The Morning Bullpen” with George Mo and Erik on Thursday. Given the time of the case, Crime Stoppers of Houston said that the statute of limitations has expired and that the plumber who made the discovery will not receive any reward money. On Friday, Crime Stoppers CEO Rania Manarious, who had been talking to law enforcement about increasing the size of the reward for the plumber, got approval to do so. Last month, the money may have been discovered not by detectives or church staff, but by a plumber who fixes a toilet inside a church bathroom.
The plumber, who identified himself only as “Justin”, said he attended Sunday's service at the megachurch expecting Osteen to mention his feat, but it never happened. The plumber behind the discovery, Justin Cauley, told NBC affiliate KPRC: “This money is going to help tremendously. I was like, 'Oh wow, 'said the plumber on the Houston radio show, as KPRC first reported. The envelopes were discovered behind a loose toilet by the plumber while he was doing repairs at the Houston church in November.
After Cauley discovered the money, KPRC reported that Houston's Crime Stoppers said the plumber would not receive the award due to statute of limitations and other factors.
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