Washington - The Mall of America in Minnesota was on Monday coping with the aftermath of an indoor shower of dollar bills thrown by a man who said he was down on his luck and wanted to spread Christmas cheer.
Serge Vorobyov posted a video he made while he threw the money on Friday from the fourth-floor balcony of the giant shopping and entertainment complex with more than 520 shops.
“Crazy Guy Throws 1 000 Dollars off 4th Floor at Mall of America” reads the headline of Vorobyov's posting on YouTube. It shows the bills raining down on a crowd of shoppers while three singers performed Let It Snow.
Mall of America spokeswoman Sarah Schmidt told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that Vorobyov disrupted the performance and his antics could have caused a serious situation.
Mall security guards also disapproved of Vorobyov's dollar toss and gave him a citation for disorderly conduct. But Vorobyov said in a separate YouTube video that his idea was to “spread some holiday cheer, be positive and let it snow money”.
The 29-year-old said it had been a tough year. In addition to the divorce, he lost his car-hauling business, he said.
But he enjoyed throwing the money, which he said was his last $1 000.
“I don't have enough money for a lot of things and I'm going through a horrible divorce,” he said. “She even took the cat and won't tell me were it is.”
Police said Vorobyov's stunt was for publicity as part of an effort to reconcile with his wife.
They told the Star Tribune he stamped the bills with his YouTube site to direct people to it.
By Monday night, it had been viewed 12 579 times and garnered 197 likes. - Sapa-dpa