SC Troopers under SLED investigation following $110K seizure
SUMTER COUNTY, SC (WJZY) — South Carolina Law Enforcement Division investigators are working to figure out what happened the night in July when the Highway Patrol stopped John Rodreigo Holliday at a roadblock in Sumter County and seized $110,428 from him. Holliday pulled up to the blockade on Pearson Road and ended up in the […]
Federal Loophole Thwarts State Curbs on Police Seizures of Property
Over the past three years, Melisa Ingram, a 50-year-old Detroit resident, has had her 2017 Ford Fusion seized twice by the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office. The officers claimed that Ingram’s ex-boyfriend, who had her car at the time of the seizures, was involved in illegal activity. Under Michigan’s civil asset forfeiture law, the police could […]
Former Motel Caswell owner testifies in nation’s capital on pitfalls of civil forfeiture law
Former Motel Caswell owner testifies in nation’s capital on pitfalls of civil forfeiture law Russ Caswell, right foreground, is joined by Institute of Justice lawyer Darpana Sheth at a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on the federal civil-forfeiture law, which nearly cost Caswell his business, the Motel Caswell in Tewksbury in 2013. Institute of […]
After Having His Motel Seized by the Government, Victim of Civil Asset Forfeiture Reflects on His Fight
Russ Caswell, owner of Motel Caswell in Tewksbury, Mass., fought the law and won. Now, he’s reflecting on his experiences with a law enforcement tool known as civil asset forfeiture as policymakers in Washington, D.C., and across states from coast to coast, debate the practice. “The government tried to take [Motel Caswell] based on just […]
From pirates to kingpins, the strange legal history of civil forfeiture
As with most good tales, this one starts with pirates. Or rather, privateers, who are basically pirates but with less killing. From America’s earliest years to the modern day, the government has taken money and property from citizens to pay its bills. It began with pirates and privateers, morphed to go after moonshiners and later […]
Middle District Of Florida U.S. Attorney’s Office Collects More Than $168 Million In Civil And Criminal Actions In Fiscal Year 2022
Tampa, FL ― U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced today that the Middle District of Florida (MDFL) collected $168,330,189 related to criminal and civil matters in the fiscal year ending September 30, 2022 (FY 2022). Of that amount, $103,089,821 represents total collections in criminal and civil actions. Included in this amount is $43,048,067 recovered in […]
Albany district attorney, sheriff under federal review for use of funds
The Department of Justice is reviewing the offices’ use of federal forfeiture funds after two audits By Steve Hughes Updated Jan 12, 2023 7:13 a.m. Albany County District Attorney David Soares attends a donation ceremony to the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society Monday, April 11, 2022, in Menands N.Y. The Department of Justice is reviewing how […]
NM End of Civil Asset Forfeiture Didn’t Increase Crime: Study
In 2015, New Mexico legislators ended most civil asset forfeiture, the process that lets police keep cash or property they seize, even if they never charge the owner with a crime, so long as they suspect that it’s linked to criminal activity. High-profile lawsuits and press attention prompted some states to reexamine their forfeiture laws. […]
Fake Reform Won’t Fix Police Addiction To Forfeiture Cash
Nursing student and single mom Stephanie Wilson will soon have a date at the Michigan Supreme Court, and she could lose her car in the process. Wayne County law enforcers seized her 2006 Saturn Ion in June 2019 and have been fighting to keep it ever since. When officers took the vehicle, they did not […]
Warrant of arrest issued against seized funds from Bank of Saipan
DISTRICT Court for the NMI Magistrate Judge Heather Kennedy issued a warrant of arrest in rem Friday against funds seized from two Bank of Saipan accounts in 2019 for wire fraud and money laundering totaling $310,276.26. According to an online legal dictionary, “in rem” is Latin for “against the thing,” and “refers to a lawsuit […]
Feds Expand Forfeiture of Cryptocurrency
The Department of Justice (DOJ) plans a dramatic expansion in the federal government’s ability to seize and keep cryptocurrency, often wrongly-assumed impervious to government confiscation, hoping to broaden the most abusive form of civil forfeiture that property owners currently have little protection from, reports Nick Sibilla for Forbes. Crypto is often wrongly-assumed impervious to government […]
How do you protect your assets from seizures and forfeitures?
Dan Greenberg, deputy general counsel of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, described seizures and forfeitures, how to protect your assets, and how difficult it is for consumers to retrieve their property once it is seized. Copyright © 2023 Federal News Network. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic […]
This Week’s Civil Forfeiture Outrage (Twelfth in a Series: Love Field Update)
A few months ago, I blogged about the curious case of a currency seizure at Dallas Love Field. In December, the Dallas Police Department (DPD) seized more than $100,000 in currency from a traveler journeying to Chicago, apparently after a drug-sniffing dog sensed the smell of marijuana from her suitcase. As I wrote then, there […]
This Week’s Civil Forfeiture Outrage (Eleventh in a Series: Highway Robbery in California)
The bandit is the scourge of the traveler. In less developed parts of the world, travelers risk encountering bandits even today. Sometimes the bandit claims that he’s in charge of the road that the traveler is on or that he’s licensed to collect a toll. Sometimes the bandit discards the pretense of legality and insists […]
New Hampshire Considers Major Forfeiture Reform
The New Hampshire state legislature’s House Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety is considering a significant change to the Granite State’s forfeiture laws: a change from civil forfeiture to criminal forfeiture. Below is a snippet from my recent testimony that explains how this proposed change would make life better for property owners in New […]
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