Forfeiture and Asset Seizure

The police are permitted to seize money or property if they believe that it is the proceeds of criminal activity. The most common time that this happens is when the police seize cash. The police have an incentive to seize cash, because a portion of this money is frequently given to their police department.

For an interesting video on forfeiture and asset seizure take a couple of minutes and watch this short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hytkAaoF2k There are unbelievable examples of abuse regarding this law. This is often times referred to as “Policing for Profit.”

There are multiple technical laws that police have to follow in order to lawfully seize and forfeit your property. Often times the police and prosecutor make mistakes during this process. If a mistake is made and your attorney can identify that mistake, then you may be able to get your property returned to quickly and easily. Sometimes however, a forfeiture case must go all the way to a jury trial before it can be resolved.

I have successfully litigated the return of tens-of-thousands of dollars to my clients. In other situations we have made the strategic decision to give up the money in exchange for a better deal in a case or an outright dismissal of the charges.