Mark Brewer is a decorated Air Force veteran who fought in the global war on terror. But last month, he became a casualty in the drug war.
In late March, the U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the federal government could take more than $60,000 of Brewer’s cash with civil forfeiture, even though he was never charged with a crime. The decision lets many Midwestern states continue to take property from people who have done nothing wrong.
A former military police officer and weapons specialist, Brewer earned several medals during his service in the Air Force, before he was medically discharged in 2008. Brewer said he developed Posttraumatic Stress Disorder after a deployment in Afghanistan.
In November 2011, Brewer was driving on Interstate 80 in Nebraska, when Douglas County Sheriff’s Deputy Dave Wintle pulled Brewer over for crossing traffic lanes without signaling. During the stop, Wintle performed a criminal background check, which “revealed no major violations.”
After gaining Brewer’s consent, Wintle walked around the car with a canine unit; the dog alerted to the trunk. When he searched the trunk, Wintle found two backpacks that had a “strong odor of raw marijuana” and $63,530 in cash.
Source:http://www.forbes.com/
Source:http://www.forbes.com/
I have no idea of what and how this civil forfeight is even possible, and legale, that alone is stunning, its like I cant belive what I read.
ReplyDeleteI am slackjawed, and I aint joking.
And we live in the supousely comunitsic europa, and I have never head of civil f.... before you started to write about it, its simply amazing and whats even wurse, they steel the mans money, THE reason is even more stunning.
I cant help it, but to laugh, and shake my head.
And this is the UssA.
What a wounderfull brave new world.
Halleluja
peace
Next up?
ReplyDeleteForce all the poor people into the Obamacare corral (Medicaid) and when they have a major (expensive) illness and can't pay, then comes the invite to the Asset Forfeiture Square Dance where they will have their property "forfeited" to pay their bill.
Millions of poor people have homes, land, vehicles, etc. which they inherited and by God the Feds are gonna get it, one way or the other..
Sure, the government has the power to take your property, they always have, and you may not get it back. Its called eminent domain.
ReplyDeleteBUT -
They must compensate you - which is a separate legal matter altogether.
So people try to fight the forfeiture, and lose, and believe its all over, when the inning is only half over. They don't realize that compensation is a separate issue; so they never file a claim, the statute of limitations runs out, and the government wins by default.
So don't let them fool you; file those claims today!