A lawsuit has been filed against the US government, accusing it of seizing over $100 million in cash, gold, and jewelry from citizens in California without providing any explanation.
The nonprofit Institute for Justice has taken legal action to stop the forfeiture proceedings for a group of individuals whose assets were confiscated by the FBI, with little clarity on the reasons behind it. The case revolves around a couple based in Los Angeles, Linda and Reggie Martin, who had $40,200 of their life savings seized from a safety deposit box without any evidence of illegal activity being presented by the agency.
Their attorney, Bob Belden, argues that the actions taken by the government are immoral, violating basic human rights as American citizens. The government employs civil forfeiture, allowing it to decide independently whether to seize and attempt to retain properties, even when there are no suspicions of criminal behavior.
The FBI sends standardized forfeiture notices that fail to provide owners with any information regarding the grounds for taking their assets, which the Institute for Justice deems unconstitutional. The operation conducted by the FBI at the Beverly Hills location resulted in the seizure of more than $100 million in various valuable assets.
Although the government issued blanket notices that vaguely referenced numerous federal crimes, it has refused to specify the exact wrongdoing in the case of the Martins. The lawsuit seeks to halt administrative proceedings for all recipients of the forfeiture notices. Linda states that neither she nor her husband have been charged with a crime and there is no indication of whether they will recover their money.
The Institute for Justice highlights that civil and criminal forfeiture is a lucrative practice for federal law enforcement, with individuals receiving inadequate notices that vaguely link their property to potential federal crimes. This particular situation demonstrates how federal forfeiture incentivizes agents to seize assets without sufficient cause, while keeping property owners in the dark to discourage resistance.
A federal judge has previously ruled that a client involved in the same safety deposit seizure operation received a deficient forfeiture notice, resulting in the FBI violating due process and the Fifth Amendment.
US Government Being Sued For Allegedly Stealing $100,000,000
![](https://files.constantcontact.com/b44f1673801/8680115f-1bff-47fc-b30d-31ada3eddc73.jpg)
![](https://cryptoweekly.co/img/CryptoWeekly-Logo.png.webp)
Subscribe to the CryptoWeekly Newsletter
Get the top stories, funding deals, technical analysis, cryptocurrency jobs and much more delivered to your inbox, every Monday morning.
![](https://files.constantcontact.com/b44f1673801/b2b70ffa-0e36-4130-8721-8558a172f9be.jpg)
July 26,2024
Solana Protocol Announces Rebranding And Launches New Stablecoin And Token
![](https://files.constantcontact.com/b44f1673801/e4263491-8536-41c6-8b85-dc4395260d9e.jpg)
July 26,2024
Senator Marshall Will No Longer Support Anti Crypto Bill
![](https://files.constantcontact.com/b44f1673801/15b5fbd6-3273-4d9c-ae3d-f60d7e2008df.jpg)
July 25,2024
HSBC Australia Will Block All Payments To Crypto Exchanges Going Forward
![](https://files.constantcontact.com/b44f1673801/98ef54b8-8c94-4232-ae78-f264480276f1.jpg)
July 25,2024
Kamala Harris Will Not Attend Upcoming Bitcoin Conference
![](https://files.constantcontact.com/b44f1673801/da56d11b-c05f-4d82-923f-196b296ec509.jpg)
July 24,2024
Toyota Plans To Adopt Ethereum Blockchain Technology For Its Vehicles
![](https://files.constantcontact.com/b44f1673801/68af468b-c48f-492a-a190-a43454314701.jpg)
July 24,2024
Coinbase Wants Access To Private Emails As Fight Against SEC Continues
![](https://files.constantcontact.com/b44f1673801/0e4251a9-d846-42c2-984e-d2806408c77b.jpg)
July 23,2024
Swan Bitcoin Shuts Down Mining Unit And Abandons IDO Plans
![](https://files.constantcontact.com/b44f1673801/ba0136f1-de0b-4c86-ade3-a3aadb462008.jpg)
July 23,2024
Markets React As US SEC Approves Spot Ethereum ETFs
![](https://files.constantcontact.com/b44f1673801/e45ae704-d352-4a15-bb91-c5ebc7aa8791.jpg)
July 22,2024
Elon Musk Adds Lazer Eyes Following Rumours Of His Attendance At Upcoming BTC Conference
![](https://files.constantcontact.com/b44f1673801/4b60f27c-6f55-40ef-8671-63e9c0b7bac9.jpg)
July 22,2024
Biden Officially Quits Presidential Race As Trump Supporters Celebrate
![](https://files.constantcontact.com/b44f1673801/82594195-386c-43f3-a8cb-70acaa2672fb.jpg)
July 22,2024
Web3 Fundraising Deals - July 16th to July 22nd, 2024
![](https://files.constantcontact.com/b44f1673801/1f0e0ef1-899b-409b-adcc-a9b7c5c3ce51.jpg)
July 21,2024