American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio Legal Director Jeff Gamso said Ricks has a tough road ahead, not impossible, but tough to get back his money. “The law of forfeiture basically says you have to prove you’re innocent. It’s terrible, terrible law,” he said. The law is tilted in favor of the FBI in that Ricks need not be charged with a crime and the FBI stands a good chance at keeping the money, Gamso said. “The law will presume it is the result of ill-gotten gains,” he said. Still Ricks can pursue it and possibly convince a judge he had the money through a lifetime of savings. Asking the FBI usually doesn’t work, he said.
He has a stated method of obtaining his money. All he has to do is tell his case to a judge. Not a "jack booted thug". A judge. A judge in a probably very, very liberal area. Now - I repeat: why wouldn't the ACLU happily and quickly help this man out?
“why wouldn’t the ACLU happily and quickly help this man out?”
Nice try at slight of hand. The answer is; Because they know they would lose and they want to spend their time with a case they think they can win. Know what that proves? Absolutely nothing. Even the ACLU must get tired of tilting at windmills after a while. The ACLU guy also said it was a “terrible terrible law”.
“All he has to do is tell his case to a judge. Not a “jack booted thug”. A judge. A judge in a probably very, very liberal area.”
Really, is that all? It was a federal seizure by federal agents. The judge would be federal, not some local Democrat elected hack. And do you think he just walks in to court and gets to talk to a judge? No. The judge can just refuse to here it, which he will. This ant can be safely ignored. Maybe if some of that 400K had been a political contribution he might have had a shot. As it is,his right to redress of grievance is zero. That’s not the way it is supposed to be.
If the FBI got all geared up because they knew the guy was crooked then charge him. It looks like he may well be guilty. If he is, how hard can the conviction be?
The defacto judge here is the FBI. The whole point of our justice system is you don’t get to be judge, jury and executioner. If they have evidence then let them make their case in front of a jury.
For some reason you think the guy does not deserve a trial. Why?