[Tancred]

Look at a bill, THIS NOTE IS LEGAL TENDER FOR ALL DEBTS PUBLIC AND PRIVATE, nuff said!!

It's not "nuff said" because if you ran a business where you sold commercial trucks that cost in the neighborhood of $100 grand to anyone who came in with a cooler full of cash the odds are that you would be dealing with criminals, gangsters, or persons who otherwise acquired that kind of cash by illegitimate means. I find it very hard to believe that anyone who ran a dealership would finalize a deal like that without telling the buyer to go to a bank first. You just would not want to accept that amount of cash no matter what was printed on the bills.

Please, seriously, this is the real world, not some exercise in theoretical absolutisms. I stand by my assertion that there is something very suspicious with the behavior of the defendants, and likewise anyone who would deal with them with that amount of cash.

My father ran a yacht brokerage (same idea as real estate, but with boats). Nobody would come into his office with a duffel bag full of cash and want to buy a boat. The idea is ridiculous, and anyone doing that would be shown to the door.

[eastforker]

Other than the two parties concerned, it realy is not anybody elses bussiness.Cash is legal to own! At what amount do you think the government should get involved? Too some a $100 is a lot of cash, to others $10,000 is mere pocket change.

[Gabz]

While I agree with you there is something suspicion going on here, I have to say that any businessman that refuses a cash sale, regardless of the product, should not be in business.

[Between the Lines]

I doubt that this was a dealership but instead an individual selling a truck. Gonzoles said that he flew to Chicago to buy a truck, but it had sold by the time he had arrived. If it had been a dealership there would have been more than one truck.

Most dealerships will not accept over $9000 cash. If you want to buy a vehicle without credit you will usually have to pay with a combination of check, cash and multiple cashier checks all less than $9000 each.

[Zon]

Auctions that sell fleet type trucks, rigs and cars have many large cash buyers. I used to work in the transportation department of a five billion dollar utility company and would go to auctions that sold the company's outdated vehicles. There was always people, some private but mostly small and medium businesses buying with cash currency. A used 70 ft. bucket truck in good condition sells for around $65,000.

[biff]

You obviously have not been in the real world very long. I have seen stuff from airplanes, luxury cars, tractors, oil field equipment, boats, and houses paid for with cash. Lots and lots of people still use cash to purchase a myriad of things other than drugs.
Ever go to a doctor and arrange cash payment? I have and services cost me 1/3 what it would have with insurance or other payment methods.(not talking about just an office visit either.)
Worked in an auto dealership once. Farmer came in and bought a new Caddy for his wife. Had two pillowcases full of every US denomination up to 100's. Took us two hours to count out 23 grand for the Caddy plus taxes.
Just because somebody likes to pay with cash does not mean it was illegally nor the folks do anything illegal.
Even wealthy people from Mexico travel with lots of cash, they do not trust their own banking system.

[Sandy]

there is something very suspicious with the behavior of the defendants, and likewise anyone who would deal with them with that amount of cash.

So what? Suspicious behavior isn't grounds for forfeiture. You have to establish, by a preponderance of the evidence, a substantial connection between the money and a controlled substance offense. That's the legal standard. Suspiciousness isn't enough. Maybe the guy's telling the truth. Or maybe he was selling stolen goods. Who knows? There's certainly no evidence that drugs were involved in any way.

[Badray]

I was in the automobile business for years. It was not unusual at all to have people bring in $30,000 or $40,000 in cash to buy a car 15 years ago.

The dealer (or anyone involved in such a deal) is prohibited from telling a customer to bring a check once they know that much cash is involved. The feds can (and have) charged dealerships with 'structuring' a deal to avoid reporting requirements.

I don't care if this man is involved in drugs. Suspicion is not good enough reason to consfiscate someone's property.

[thinkthenpost]

I believe you are naive and who be surprised at the number of cash only transactions that take place in this country and are largely off the books. By the way, most of them would be perfectly legal except for the tax issues involved.

[pageonetoo]

My father ran a yacht brokerage

It's people like you that become judges like this. You want to reason things not seen.

NO DRUGS WERE FOUND!

I'll give you some first-hand experience. I don't need to bring my "daddy" into the fray. I built houses in NC for years. I bui8lt a house for cash. I got haalf up front, and the balance when the sheetrock went into it. I gave them a nice house.

Drug dealers? NO! The folk that I built a nice home for had sold their house in Detroit, and come back home, after he retired from FOMOCO. They were black, and "country" (despite 40 years in MI) and didn't like banks.

I sat a rickety kitchen table talking to "Pop", while mom went back to the bedroom and returned with stacks of hundreds and fifties.

Of course, that was a different time.Now socialist trolls felt everybody must be a drug dealer or other type criminal, if they don't like banks, and pay with cash.

In another first-hand account, I carry a lot of cash sometimes. I employ sub-contractors who need to cash my large check on a saturday, so they can pay others. Many small guys operate like that. Of course, to you that is probably illegal or questionable, too!

I visit pawn shops several times a wseek, as well. I buy a lot of good stuff. Last week, my daughter found a stack of almost new first-rate DVD's and we bought 38 of them for a hundred bucks, CASH. We went to another store, and bought a 30g video iPod for $200. I didn't get a box, but I had to take the plastic protector off the screen. Daughter didn't care. We went to another pawn shop, and I bought a car. I paid cash for it, too... and will continue. Money talks and BS walks...

Better start walking!

[OregonRancher]

I've bought ranch equipment for cash, one piece for over a $140k...no questions asked...'course they new me.

[unseen]

Excuse me when did the "proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt" become "smells fishy lets take all the money and lock him away" There is no evidence, there are many people telling the same story yet this is not good enough now?

Like it or not this country is based on the premise that you are innocent until the government proves beyond a reasonable doubt that you are guilty. The government failed to do this and so the money must be returned with interest.