A Pennsylvania family has filed a lawsuit against the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) after the agency seized $82,373 in cash at Pittsburgh airport because it considers large amounts of cash to be “suspicious.”
The money, which was stored in a Tupperware container, was Terrence Rolin’s life savings. The 79-year-old retired railroad engineer was worried about keeping so much cash on hand, so he asked his daughter, Rebecca Brown, to open a joint bank account and deposit the money.
A new investigative report by the St. Louis Public Radio has revealed that Missouri police used civil asset forfeiture to seize at least $2.6 million during traffic stops along Interstate 70 in 2018.
Civil asset forfeiture is a law that allows authorities to seize property—cars, electronics, cash, etc.—that is believed to be connected to a crime.
The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that three Fresno police officers accused of stealing more than $225,000 while executing a search warrant are entitled to “qualified immunity” and therefore can’t be sued.
The judges panel acknowledged that the officers should have recognized the alleged theft was morally wrong, but it concluded that they didn’t violate the Fourth Amendment.
The U.S. government is attempting to seize $16.5 million in bank funds belonging to the operators of the now-shuttered Backpage.com. These funds are held in an offshore bank account, sources say.
The seven defendants named in the complaint are Michael Lacey, 69, of Paradise Valley, Arizona; James Larkin, 68, of Paradise Valley, Arizona; Scott Spear, 67, of Scottsdale, Arizona; John “Jed” Brunst, 66, of Phoenix, Arizona; Daniel Hyer, 49, of Dallas, Texas; Andrew Padilla, 45, and Joye Vaught, 37, of Addison, Texas.
With all of the controversy revolving around civil asset forfeiture in recent years, support for such policies is hard to find. In fact, any story that mentions the policies is almost sure to talk about a grave injustice has been done to the victim of the forfeiture.
To be sure, the actual of examples of abuse of civil asset forfeiture laws are plentiful. However, that does not stop proponents of civil asset forfeiture from remaining adamant that the laws are an overall good for society. An Alabama District Attorney and an Alabama Sheriff are the latest to speak out in defense of civil asset forfeiture, which comes as the Alabama Legislature begins considering legislation that would drastically change the way civil asset forfeitures are handled in Alabama in favor of civilians. Continue reading
Criminal Defense and Civil Forfeiture Blog