Civil Forfeiture Does Not Seem To Reduce Drug Use or Help Fight Crime
A new study provides further evidence that property seizures are driven by financial motives rather than public safety concerns.
Civil Asset Forfeiture
Judge Threatens to Jail North Carolina Town Officials for Seizing Man's Money, Refusing To Return It
A misdemeanor marijuana charge leads to an attempt to take $17,000.
The Seemingly Interminable Saga of the Timbs Asset Forfeiture Case Continues
It went all the way to the US Supreme Court, and is now back in the Indiana state Supreme Court for the third time.
Indiana Argues That the State Should Be Able To Take Everything You Own if You Commit a Drug Crime
The state used civil asset forfeiture to seize Tyson Timbs' car in 2013. His nightmare hasn't ended.
States Are Finally Revoking Cops' License To Steal
A recent flurry of legislative activity suggests why forfeiture reform succeeds—and why it fails.
Justin Amash Introduces Bill To End Civil Asset Forfeiture Nationwide
The practice is plainly unconstitutional.
Obama Knocks 'Defund the Police' Activists for Valuing 'Feel Good' Sloganeering Over Practical Reforms
Efforts to push for substantial police reforms many people would support instead became a political battlefield.
This Forfeiture Victim Waited 2 Years Without a Hearing. Is That Due Process?
The Institute for Justice wants the Supreme Court to rule that the Fifth Amendment requires a prompt post-seizure hearing.
How to Beat Legalized Larceny
Government bullies empowered by civil forfeiture laws often back down, but only when their victims can afford a fight.
DEA to Return $43,000 It Seized From Tampa Woman at Airport
The DEA dropped its attempt to keep the money roughly two months after the woman joined a class-action lawsuit challenging cash seizures at airports.
Restrict Asset Forfeiture
It's time to do something about police seizures of property from innocent people.
Surveying the Federal Government's Kafkaesque System of Legalized Larceny, the 5th Circuit Sees No Due Process Problem
Gerardo Serrano, whose truck was seized over five forgotten handgun rounds, waited two years for a hearing he never actually got.
After the DEA Robbed Her of $43,000 at an Airport, She Joined a Class Action Challenging the Agency's Cash Grabs
The lawsuit argues that the DEA is violating the Fourth Amendment by seizing money from travelers without evidence of criminal activity.
Tucson Handyman Gets His Jeep Back After He Threatens to Fight the Forfeiture
The cops seized Kevin McBride's $15,000 car because his girlfriend allegedly used it for a $25 marijuana sale.
The Cops Took This Guy's $15,000 Jeep Because His Girlfriend Allegedly Used It for a $25 Marijuana Sale
Kevin McBride argues that Arizona's civil forfeiture law is unconstitutional.
The Cops Took This Guy's Car Because He Unwittingly Rented It to an Alleged Drug Dealer
Like other innocent owners, Manni Munir finds that fighting a civil forfeiture can cost more than the property is worth.
Homeland Security Seized $2 Billion in Cash From Travelers at U.S. Airports
In two-thirds of those cases, there were no accompanying arrests.
Rand Paul Tries (Again!) To Make It Harder for Police To Take Your Stuff
Federal civil asset forfeiture bill reintroduced as police reform efforts hit a partisan wall.
7 Race-Neutral Solutions to Racially Skewed Law Enforcement
These reforms would protect all Americans while reducing racial disparities in policing.
3 Libertarian Tips for the #DefundPolice Movement
Reducing law enforcement requires more than merely cutting and shifting a budget.
Lancaster County Drug Task Force 'Missing' $150K From Asset Forfeiture Fund
Would you be surprised if you learned the former district attorney was caught leasing an SUV with asset forfeiture funds?
Indiana Returns Land Rover Seized in Landmark Asset Forfeiture Case - But Continues the Legal Battle Over its Ultimate Fate
In Timbs v. Indiana, the US Supreme Court ruled that the Eighth Amendment's Excessive Fines Clause applies to state asset forfeiture seizures. But key issues were left for lower courts to resolve.
Indiana Returns Land Rover Seized 7 Years Ago in Landmark Asset Forfeiture Case
Indiana is still fighting to keep Tyson Timbs' SUV seven years after it first seized the car, but for now, it's back in Timbs' driveway.
Why Did Arizona Democrats Kill a Bill Protecting Citizens From Police Overreach?
It’s all about the revenue. Civil forfeiture brings in money, and lawmakers are more worried about their budgets than residents’ due process and property rights.
ICE Agents Fight Sex Trafficking by Paying Potential Victims for Hand Jobs
In "Operation Asian Touch," federal agents coerced suspected human-trafficking victims into sex acts. Local cops seized money and threw them in jail.
Michigan County Prosecutor Charged With Embezzling Asset Forfeiture Funds
And he's far from the first prosecutor to be caught with his hand in the asset forfeiture cookie jar.
DEA Will Return $82K Life Savings It Seized From an Elderly Pittsburgh Man and His Daughter
Neither Terry Rolin or his daughter were ever charged with a crime, but that didn't stop the DEA from trying to seize more than $82,000 from them through civil asset forfeiture.
Class-Action Lawsuit Challenges Detroit's Asset Forfeiture Racket
The lawsuit says Wayne County police stop and seize cars simply for entering or leaving certain areas.
Family Sues DEA and TSA After Elderly Man's Life Savings Were Seized at Airport
A class-action lawsuit is now challenging the DEA's habit of seizing large amounts of cash from travelers without evidence of any crime.
New Jersey Passes Civil Asset Forfeiture Reforms
New Jersey took two major steps toward increasing transparency and strengthening protections for property owners against civil asset forfeiture.
Missouri Cops Used Federal Loophole To Seize $2.6 Million From Drivers Who They Never Charged With Crimes
St. Charles County law enforcement used shady practices to seize motorists' assets without convictions.
California Threatens Landlords of Unlicensed Pot Shops With Prosecution
The drug wars will continue until the state gets its cut of the money.
With This Forfeiture Trick, Innocent Owners Lose Even When They Win
The Institute for Justice asks the Supreme Court to block sneaky tactics that prevent victims of property grabs from recovering their legal costs.
Georgia Prosecutors Seized a Crab Shack Over Gambling Charges. A State Supreme Court Ruling Could Decide the Fate of Gaming in the State.
Prosecutors are hiring private attorneys to pursue asset forfeiture charges against establishments that offer coin-operated gaming.
Pending Ban on Flavored E-Cigarettes in Massachusetts Authorizes Forfeiture of Vapers' Cars
The bill, which the state House passed yesterday, says police may seize vehicles in which they find untaxed vaping products.
A Michigan Man Underpaid His Property Taxes By $8.41. The County Seized His Property, Sold It—and Kept the Profits.
A state law allows counties to effectively steal homes over unpaid taxes and keep the excess revenue for their own budgets.
Indiana Supreme Court Applies Eighth Amendment to Curb "Oppressive" Asset Forfeitures
The ruling is a continuation of the same case in which the federal Supreme Court ruled that the Excessive Fines Clause of the Eighth Amendment is "incorporated" against state governments and applies to asset forfeitures.
S.C. Judge Rules the Obvious: It's Unconstitutional for Police to Seize and Keep People's Property Without Proving They Committed Crimes
Law enforcement and prosecutors have seized millions from people they’ve arrested. That might be coming to an end.
Federal Court Rules State Judges Cannot Profit From Fines and Fees Imposed on Defendants in the Cases Before Them
If the court that hears the cases stands to profit from the fines paid by defendants, that's a violation of the Due Process Clause of the Constitution. The rulings have potential implications for other, similar conflicts of interest in the criminal justice system.
A DEA Agent Got a Drug Dealer to Buy a Truck So the Agent Could Seize it Through Asset Forfeiture
Former DEA special agent Chad Scott has been convicted of perjury, obstruction of justice, and falsifying government records.
Bernie Sanders Calls for Legalizing Marijuana and Curtailing Asset Forfeiture in Sprawling Criminal Justice Plan
Sanders' plan takes aim at every part of the justice system, including typical Sanders targets like private prisons and corporate "profiteers."
Iowa Cops Buy an Armored Vehicle With $300,000 in Asset Forfeiture Funds
It's a nasty mix of police militarization and civil asset forfeiture.
Backpage Prosecutors Want to Seize Assets First, Answer Questions Later
Aggressive asset forfeiture collides with First Amendment rights.
Indiana Is Still Arguing That It's Constitutional To Seize Your Car for Driving 5 MPH Over the Speed Limit
"Historically the answer to that question is yes, and we're sticking with that position here."
New Law Stops IRS From Stealing People's Money Simply Because It Deems Their Bank Deposits Suspiciously Small
A provision of the Taxpayer First Act requires evidence of other illegal activity for seizures based on "structuring" and mandates prompt hearings.
The FBI Hopes These Cute Puppies Will Distract You From Unconstitutional Civil Asset Forfeitures
Surrender the Fifth Amendment or the dog dies.
Asset Forfeiture Funding Has Little Impact on Solving Crimes, Says New Study
A new study by the Institute for Justice says federal asset forfeiture funds have little to no impact on solving crimes, suggesting police are more interested in the revenue it generates
