Posted on 11/18/2017 3:18:46 PM PST by MtnClimber
DENVER -- The Problem Solvers have uncovered a city law that's making Denver millions of dollars before defendants have even been convicted of a crime. The Denver statute is called a Public Nuisance Abatement Ordinance and it allows police to confiscate property, usually cars, for a crime you may later be found innocent of.
It's exactly what happened to 57-year-old Semere Fremichael, a native of Eritrea. The immigrant from East African has been driving a taxi in Denver for the past 28-years. In April, he was arrested in an undercover prostitution sting. An undercover female cop tapped on Fremichael's taxi and asked him if he wanted to meet her around the corner for sex.
"I thought she was crazy, I said 'Oh she's crazy' that's why I left," said Fremichael. Denver Police pulled Fremichael over six blocks away to arrest him.
Denver police also filed a civil violation against Fremichael's Toyota Prius as a "Class One Public Nuisance," alleging the car was used in the commission of a crime.
"My client unfortunately got himself caught up in a scam that the city basically uses to make money," said Richard Gross, Fremichael's defense attorney. Gross helped convince a judge to acquit Fremichael of the prostitution charge but says Fremichael was forced to sign a civil stipulation long before he was found innocent of the criminal charge.
(Excerpt) Read more at kdvr.com ...
All I can say is just WOW!
Asset forfeiture laws have always been a crime against the people.
Asset forfeiture is a victimless crime, because working-class citizens aren’t even human.
Colorado Ping ( Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from the list.)
Legalized theft.
“Fremichael was forced to sign a civil stipulation long before he was found innocent of the criminal charge.”
Never sign anything.
L
Rip van Sessions will get right on it...
I left the Denver area over 30 years ago. Sounds like the Denver PD hasn’t changed a bit.
This crap has to stop.
Apparently he loves Statist Civil Asset Forfeiture.
NOT a man for preserving Personal Liberty.
If these politicians and police don’t want to be treated like criminals then they should stop acting like criminals.
This is one of many reasons I just don’t go into Denver. Period. It is Detroit on the Platte.
Oh he's on it. He wants more of it.
Seizure of property on the supposition the person “may” be later convicted of a crime stand as “guilty-until-proven” situations that clearly should be outlawed.
Not only do local jurisdictions do this - because they get so much money doing so, the federal government has even admitted in recent regulatory filings that they oppose doing away with the seizures under the federal DOJ regs because of the DOJ programs now relying on the revenue they are getting from the seizures.
Lesson learned is to rent a car for trolling hookers.
I hate asset forfeiture and one day Americans will spill blood over it.
If I was on a jury where a citizen used lethal force to defend themselves against this, either during the crime or retaliation, I could not vote to convict them.
I have seen decoy “hookers” walking Colfax a few times. They are laughably obvious.
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