Federal Appeals Court: Driving With Money is a CrimeEighth Circuit Appeals Court ruling says police may seize cash from motorists even in the absence of any evidence that a crime has been committed.
A federal appeals court ruled yesterday that if a motorist is carrying large sums of money, it is automatically subject to confiscation. In the case entitled, "United States of America v. $124,700 in U.S. Currency," the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit took that amount of cash away from Emiliano Gomez Gonzolez, a man with a "lack of significant criminal history" neither accused nor convicted of any crime.
On May 28, 2003, a Nebraska state trooper signaled Gonzolez to pull over his rented Ford Taurus on Interstate 80. The trooper intended to issue a speeding ticket, but noticed the Gonzolez's name was not on the rental contract. The trooper then proceeded to question Gonzolez -- who did not speak English well -- and search the car. The trooper found a cooler containing $124,700 in cash, which he confiscated. A trained drug sniffing dog barked at the rental car and the cash. For the police, this was all the evidence needed to establish a drug crime that allows the force to keep the seized money.
Associates of Gonzolez testified in court that they had pooled their life savings to purchase a refrigerated truck to start a produce business....Source: US v. $124,700 (US Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit, 8/19/2006)
All it would take is one experience like this, and even reasonable people would not be in the mood for another.
"Associates of Gonzolez testified in court that they had pooled their life savings to purchase a refrigerated truck to start a produce business...."
Yeah, right. When Mr. Drug Dealer Gonzolez arrived (on a one-way air ticket from LA to Chicago) to purchase the truck, his unnamed friend told him the truck had already been sold by the unknown owner.
So, after staying in Chicago for three days, he then decided to ... drive all the way back to LA in a car rented by yet another unnamed individual. In the back seat was cooler containing a garbage bag containing $124,700 wrapped in aluminum foil -- (140) $100 bills, (999) $50 bills, (2,932) $20 bills, (208) $10 bills and (6) $5 bills.
Yep. Buy a truck and make the seller count 1000 $50 bills and 3000 $20 bills.