“In general, you needn’t be found guilty to have your assets claimed by law enforcement; in some states, suspicion on a par with “probable cause” is sufficient. Nor must you be charged with a crime, or even be accused of one. Unlike criminal forfeiture, which requires that a person be convicted of an offense before his or her property is confiscated, civil forfeiture amounts to a lawsuit filed directly against a possession, regardless of its owner’s guilt or innocence.“

Eye opening article by Sarah Stillman for The New Yorker about the abusive convenient use of civil forfeiture by law enforcement around the country. Scary.

Could partially explain this recent story of Nebraska seizing over a million during a traffic stop, on the assumption it was drug money.