asset forfeiture

Published on: June 9, 2020

Department of Justice Seeks Forfeiture of $20 Million in Assets Illegally Laundered by Alaska Man

An Alaska man accused of laundering $1 billion held in South Korea on behalf Iranian nationals has had a forfeiture complaint filed against him by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), according to federal court documents released last Thursday.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska has filed a civil forfeiture complaint accusing Kenneth Zong, a U.S. citizen, of conspiring with three Iranian nationals to evade the prohibitions of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations (ITSR). The complaint alleges Zong engaged in “false, fictitious and fraudulent transactions” designed to illegally convert and remove Iranian-owned funds equivalent to approximately $1 billion from a Korean bank.

Published on: June 4, 2020

Lancaster County Drug Task Force ‘Missing’ $150,000 from Asset Forfeiture Fund

by Brian Silber

A drug task force in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, is missing roughly $150,000 from a civil asset forfeiture fund in what “appears to be an internal theft,” District Attorney Heather Adams told the press Monday.

Adams announced June 1 that an internal audit of the Lancaster County Drug Task Force revealed that someone has stolen up to $150,000 from the task force’s asset forfeiture fund. She didn’t name any potential suspects, but she did indicate that it was likely someone with access to and knowledge of the drug task force.

Published on: May 19, 2020

Georgia Revenue Department Returns $2.1 Million in Disputed Civil Asset Forfeiture Funds to State Treasury

by Brian Silber

The Georgia Department of Revenue has reportedly ended its practice of using funds seized in criminal investigations through civil asset forfeiture and returned $2.1 million to the Office of the State Treasurer.

According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the department made the change after the publication reported that the Revenue Department’s Office of Special Investigations had spent millions of dollars seized in criminal investigations on frivolous purchases, including expensive gym equipment, engraved firearms, clothing, and personal items. By its own accounting, the office spent $2.9 million of this money over the past four years.

Published on: January 21, 2020

Terry Rolin of Pittsburgh, PA, Files Lawsuit Against DEA after Agency Confiscates $82,373 Cash at Airport

by Brian Silber

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.

Published on: January 7, 2020

Missouri Police Used Federal Loophole to Seize $2.6 Million from Drivers Never Charged with Crimes

by Brian Silber

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.