01-30-2018, 04:32 PM
(01-30-2018, 01:03 PM)David Horn Wrote:(01-29-2018, 11:31 AM)pbrower2a Wrote:(01-29-2018, 11:27 AM)David Horn Wrote: There was a case of a young man carrying a bag on a train who was approached by a DEA agent and asked to show the contents of his bag. He had no drugs but he did have several thousand dollars in cash. He claimed it was seed money for a business. There was no evidence to the contrary. The DEA agent seized the money, and told him that he would have to go to court to get it back. He tried. He had proof that his story was valid, though he had no reason to need an excuse, but the court OK'd the DEA keeping the money anyway. Needless to say, the business opportunity died. Apparently, this is a common practice.
Asset forfeiture prior to conviction is wrong on every level.
Carrying seed money as cash is asking for trouble. It might be how some communities do business, but there are safer ways to hold assets -- like debit cards and cashier's checks.
It's hard to fault the guy with the money. Yes, he should have done this differently, but he broke no laws. The 4th Amendment should have protected him, but it didn't.
The DEA is one agency that should be abolished. It does no good. Civil asset forfeiture should only be allowed after conviction. Although it wouldn't really be called that... I suppose. It's so nice, another ghost of Nixon running amok.
---Value Added 