Federal prosecutors are reportedly seeking to seize more than $200,000 found inside a minivan during a traffic stop in Oregon, even though the owner of the cash has not been charged.
According to an affidavit filed last month in the U.S. District Court in Medford, Oregon State Police found $200,470 in cash during a traffic stop conducted on July 29, 2020, in the westbound lanes of Highway 140 near Bly.
Three U.S.-based real estate firms have agreed to turn over more than $50 million to the federal government to resolve allegations claiming they accepted narcotics proceeds through an underground exchange market.
According to the Department of Justice news release, Sefira Capital and more than 30 of its subsidiaries allegedly accepted millions of dollars in drug money laundered through the Black Market Peso Exchange, which it then reinvested in various real estate ventures.
Dallas, TX
Small business owners who deal in large cash transactions have to be very careful about who they do business with. Some of their customers could be criminals trying to launder illegal proceeds, and if an unsuspecting business owner fails to report suspicious activity, federal agents may come knocking.
This was the scenario “celebrity jeweler” Zameer Lokhandwala, 46, of Frisco, TX, recently found himself in. The jeweler, whose client roster reportedly includes current and former Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Mavericks as well as famous rappers, is required to justify certain business transactions in order to convince the government he isn’t in league with alleged drug dealers.
Hundreds of animals have been forfeited from a Michigan woman accused of abusing and neglecting them in an alleged puppy mill she was running on her property.
Rebecca Sue Johnson of Maple Ridge Township faces felony charges for abandoning/cruelty to 25 or more animals, which is punishable by up to seven years in prison. She also faces a misdemeanor charge for running an unregistered animal shelter. Johnson was released from jail after posting a $60,000 surety bond.
New Jersey received a near-failing grade for its civil asset forfeiture laws in a new report by a public interest law firm that examines how every state in the U.S. addresses civil forfeiture.
The Institute for Justice recently published the third edition of its “Policing for Profit” report, a document that analyses civil forfeiture policies across the US and gives each state a scorecard based on how favorable its laws are for property owners.
Criminal Defense and Civil Forfeiture Blog