Grassley questions agency's $10,000 conference table purchase [ asset forfeitures ]

wash examiner ^ | March 18, 2015 | Susan Ferrechio

[george76]

A federal whistleblower claims a division of the Department of Justice is using money from asset forfeitures to pay for custom wallpaper, artwork, crown moldings and chair rails in its offices.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, has asked U.S. Marshals Service Director Stacia A. Hylton to answer claims about how the Asset Forfeiture Division spent forfeited money, including a report that more than $10,000 was used to purchase a single conference room table.

"If so, what was the cost and why was a less expensive table not considered?"

[gaijin]

In some cases, PD’s bought Margarita Machines with seized funds.

In almost all cases it’s stuff they could never justify in a normal budget:

Luxurious, stupid stuff for Ghetto Kings, etc.

[healy61]

This sounds like an occupation for Wisconsin liberals to deface. That is their forte.

[17th Miss Regt]

"If so, what was the cost and why was a less expensive table not considered?"

Bad question. I guarantee that they considered a cheaper table, laughed and said it was only taxpayer money, and ordered the more expensive table.

[spodefly]

Who cares ... it’s just ‘the little people’s” money ...

[exit82]

Grassley should be questioning why we allow some of these forfeitures to begin with.

[tbw2]

Or someone officially ordered a 10,000 table because that’s the most the report could say without secondary approval, bought a 5K table instead and pocked 5K.