Comedian John Oliver mocks civil forfeiture law, highlighting abusive cases. [16 min]
Philadelphia uses forfeiture law to seize citizen property on a routine basis to fund, among other things — salaries for its own staff. [4 min]
Two IRS agents seize an innocent grandmother’s money because she made regular cash deposits from her small business; she fights back with the help of the Institute for Justice. [2 min]
A civil forfeiture consultant speaking to an audience of law enforcement officials encourages them to seize all the property they can because “this is a gold mine.” [2 min]
A Tennessee police officer seizes $22,000 from a man on his way to purchase a car for cash. [6 min]
Three Victorian actors demonstrate how civil forfeiture works in a one-minute comedy skit. [1 min]
Journalist John Stossel examines civil forfeiture in his “Government Bullies” series. [6 min]
Links About Civil Asset Forfeiture
End Civil iForfeiture
ACLU: Civil Asset iForfeiture
Wikipedia: Asset iForfeiture
Forfeiturei Endangers American Rights (FEAR)
CATO: “Policing for Profit: The Abuse of Civil Asset iForfeiture”
Institute for Justice: Civil Asset iForfeiture
“Joseph Rivers left his hometown of Romulus, Michigan, boarded a train, and headed for Los Angeles, California, where he hoped to become a music-video producer. The 22-year-old says he’d been saving money for years to make the trip and that his mother had scraped together some additional cash to help him get his start. In total he carried $16,000. At the Amtrak station in Albuquerque, New Mexico, men boarded the train and seized his money, leaving him penniless and without means to go on to L.A. or return home. They were federal employees.”
The Atlantic: The Injustice of Civil-Asset iForfeiture
“In August 2001, police pursued suspected drug dealers through the unlocked door of a 77-year old homeowner, Margaret Davis. Davis typically left her door unlocked so her kind neighbors could check up on her. She suffered from end-stage renal disease and used para-transit to travel to dialysis treatment three times a week. Because the suspects ran out the back door of Ms. Davis’ home, the police asked her for permission to search her home, where they found drugs in plain view, presumably left by the fleeing suspects. The next month, the Philadelphia District Attorney filed a motion to seize her home, although no one accused her of being part of any drug ring.”
Verdict: Civil iForfeiture in Philadelphia
“The most terrifying place in Philadelphia is Courtroom 478 in City Hall. This is where property owners enter Philadelphia’s Civil Forfeiture Machine. Philadelphia’s automated, machine-like forfeiture scheme is unprecedented in size. From 2002 to 2012, Philadelphia took in over $64 million in forfeiture funds—or almost $6 million per year. In 2011 alone, the city’s prosecutors filed 6,560 forfeiture petitions to take cash, cars, homes and other property. The Philadelphia District Attorney’s office used over $25 million of that $64 million to pay salaries, including the salaries of the very prosecutors who brought the forfeiture actions. This is almost twice as much as what all other Pennsylvania counties spent on salaries combined.”
–Institute for Justice
“The seminars offered police officers some useful tips on seizing property from suspected criminals. Don’t bother with jewelry (too hard to dispose of) and computers (“everybody’s got one already”), the experts counseled. Do go after flat screen TVs, cash and cars. Especially nice cars.”
New York Times: Police Use Department Wish List When Deciding Which Assets to Seize