Sex Crime Victim Denied $69,000 Settlement Because Cops Seized Her Abuser's Cash Through Civil Forfeiture

news.yahoo.com Sex Crime Victim Denied $69,000 Settlement Because Cops Seized Her Abuser's Cash Through Civil Forfeiture

The outrageous case has led to calls from Congress to pass legislation curbing civil asset forfeiture.

A North Carolina teenager was hoping to get her life back on track after a state judge ordered a man who sexually abused her to pay her $69,000. Instead, she got a nasty surprise.

The local police department had already seized the cash through civil asset forfeiture, and it was already gone. Despite a judge's order, she will get nothing.

The case is a stunning example of the misplaced priorities and perverse incentives that asset forfeiture creates for police—and of how the federal government allows state and local police to evade reforms to stop forfeiture abuse.

THE POLICE PROBLEM @lemmy.world Sex crime victim denied $69,000 settlement, because North Carolina cops had already seized her abuser's cash through 'civil forfeiture'

15 comments

The judge should make the dept pay her. How is this not the automatic result? I know, don’t explain it to me. I’m just mad.

127
- Yeah, the money's not gone. We know where it went, and there was no actual crime related to the money.
  
  Civil forfeiture is state-sponsored theft.
  
  102
  
  Don't worry about silly things like rights. You have no rights and no property if the proper authority arbitrarily decides you don't.
  
  16
- Can't most departments seize for feds and get a cut in return, state civil asset forfeiture is getting less common because it's getting easier to fight because it's more known and everyone thinks it's idiotic.
  
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Daily reminder that the police are not here to help

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The case is a stunning example of the misplaced priorities and perverse incentives that asset forfeiture creates for police

The case is a reminder this entire concept is theft.

They steal the money, charge the inanimate object with a crime, and expect you to sue to get it back. They stole it. Stop using big words to make it sound sane. We legalized theft, for cops.

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- Oops replied to wrong post
  
  -1
Police already stole the cash..

44
Fun fact, civil forfeiture started in maritime law when ships were seized carrying illegal items and the perpetrators were foreign nationals that were never in the country, so the only way to pursue an indictment was to seize the ship and charge the ship itself with the crime.

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- Boy howdy are cops abusing maritime law then.
  
  11
There are rules, after all.

Ya just gotta be quicker. /s

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- The civil forfeiture rule is, “gotcha money BIIITCH!” (And your car, house, etc.)
  
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Those who receive stolen property may be required to return it to the person it was stolen from.

13
Let her take something from the police in return. Maybe some of their cars?

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