asset forfeiture

Published on: February 9, 2021

North Carolina Cops Seize Nearly $1 Million in Cash During Traffic Stop, Despite No Charges Filed

A South Carolina man could lose close to $1 million cash for lacking a $1 license-plate bulb. According to a federal filing, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte, North Carolina, is seeking to seize $935,754 police reportedly found in the back seat of a vehicle during a traffic stop in May 2020.

Seneca Moore, 40, of Sumter, South Carolina, was reportedly driving his white Ford F-150 pickup on the main drag in Monroe when he was pulled over by police at approximately 10:15 p.m. in the parking lot of a Circle K on U.S. 74. The officers stopped him because he “was unable to tell if the license plate lights on the truck were working,” according to the press.

Published on: February 5, 2021

Illinois Police Reform Bill Fails to Address Civil Asset Forfeiture

by Brian Silber

Illinois’ Police Reform Bill is supposed to make police work impartial and non-discriminatory. However, the bill remains controversial and continues to aggravate civil rights advocates and legislators alike.

The over 760-page criminal justice reform bill ratified by the General Assembly would increase the state’s powers of decertifying police officers for questionable or even criminal behavior. It would likewise put an end to cash bail for countless criminal acts, necessitate the use of body cameras by police officers, and make other alterations believed to make policing evenhanded and without exploitation and fraud. Continue reading

Published on: February 1, 2021

South Carolina Lawmakers Propose Changes to Civil Forfeiture Laws as Part of Bipartisan Effort

by Brian Silber

South Carolina’s lawmakers listened to testimony today on proposed changes to civil forfeiture laws in the state. Members of the General Assembly are making another attempt to revamp the state’s civil forfeiture statutes, which are facing a legal challenge in the state Supreme Court.

“Citizens are having money taken off of them,” said Rep. Seth Rose (D-District 72), who sits on the committee trying to change forfeiture laws in South Carolina, in a press release. “And there may not even be the requisite nexus to criminal activity, but their money has been seized, and they don’t have the means or power to fight for that chunk of change back.”

Published on: June 9, 2020

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

by Brian Silber

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.