Civil Asset Forfeiture, as it currently exists, is a tyrannical, criminal, and predatory practice.
I note in passing that reinvigorating asset forfeiture was one of the few initiatives that the hapless Jeff Sessions thought worth engaging in.
One cheer for the Kochs, but still two jeers for them selling us out in hopes that the left would be nicer to them.
Hmmm — it took a lawsuit to free this Stolen money from the Deep Statists’ grasping, tight grip?
How nice of them...................../s
Why would anyone carry that much cash on them? If you’re going even internationally, there have been safer ways for decades.
How much was the cost to them in legal fees to get their money returned? That should be repaid to them as well.
Its the government. Do you think they give a sh**?
That’s the kind of all powerful evil government crap the South didn’t want any part of. Along with government that banned alcohol, lawn darts, bump stocks, smoking and anything else they didn’t like.
Never EVER carry more than 10K cash.
Innocent people should get their seized assets returned to them and they should be paid interest for the period that the assets were held.
Civil asset forfeiture is an act of theft by the government - inherently evil. President Trump should put someone in charge of checking every one of these forfeitures and ordering the abusive agency to return the money to the rightful owner unless there is good evidence of a connection to serious crime. Imagine 100 news stories in each state over the next six months about people getting their own money back from an out of control government because our duly-elected President is doing the right thing.
They own him interest and damages, too.
I wonder if the author of this piece is related to the whistleblower? Same unusual last name and he a political reporter based out of Washington.
I wonder how much of all that cash ended up in the agent’s pocket. And I wonder if the government is going to give the money back with interest.
I don’t support civil forfeiture. I get the logic of using this tool to fight crime, but it always ends up hurting normal folks, who supposedly have the freedom to travel with cash. Various agencies outright steal travelers money every year.
Absolute violation of 4th Amendment rights. Heads should roll.
In a just world, these “officials” would all be put up against the wall and shot.
After a quick trial, of course.
2) people should be able to do so without fear of their own government
3) if that's the ONLY sign of criminality, that should not be enough to confiscate money
4) I dislike the DEA, and the ATFE
I’ve been following this civil forfeiture stuff for a couple of decades now. It’s one of the things that showed me that the US is more like the USSR of old than we want to admit.
It’s also why you NEVER allow the cops to search your car. But, of course, this one wasn’t about a car.
Government always tends to become tyrannical. Even if you start with democracy, it doesn’t matter. Government officials are always taking more power and repressing the folks more, and so it marches inexorably towards a controlling, overreaching autocracy.
Happening here. Freedom of speech doesn’t exist. The Fourth Amendment is ignored.