Haider Sediqi didn't give much thought to the zippered pouch that a passenger forgot in his taxicab when he got out at Los Angeles International Airport. Sediqi stashed the brown bag in the front, where it remained as he took his cab to the car wash, drove a passenger to Long Beach, and met a fellow cabbie for lunch.

As he walked off to the restroom, Sediqi asked his friend to check the bag for identification. Inside, packed in clear plastic cases, were about 100 diamonds, together worth about $350,000. Also inside was a cell phone bill.

Sediqi, 40, a father of two with a pregnant wife, called the number and talked to the man, identified as Eric Austein. He had not yet departed for New York, and they arranged to meet at the airport police station. Police inventoried the diamonds and confirmed Austein's identity. Austein took the gems, hugged Sediqi, and promised him a reward.

Sediqi said keeping the loot never entered his mind, even though his wife loves diamonds. "God is up there," he said. "He always watches."