The FBI searched boxes belonging to hundreds of innocent bystanders during a weeklong raid of US Private Vaults in Beverly Hills.
Agents then seized more than $85 million in cash and tens of millions of dollars’ worth of precious metals, jewelry, and other valuables. Mellein’s belongings included cash, a gold bar, and 110 gold coins purchased largely with the proceeds from the sale of his Malibu home in 2002.
This is when an unjust situation got worse. Agents returned the cash and gold bar but denied having anything else. The one-ounce American Eagle and Canadian Maple Leaf coins had vanished like the crown jewels of Ireland. About 93% of the time when the FBI and other U.S. Department of Justice agencies pursue civil forfeiture, they do not have to prove anything by any standard. Property owners fail to navigate the complex administrative process and lose their assets by default. Once the process ends, participating agencies keep 100% of the proceeds for themselves.Mellein fought back with litigation, which partially succeeded. After he filed his complaint, the FBI “found” 47 of his coins.
Federal agencies must track seized property and publish reports. But they use aggregated data in broad categories, making it nearly impossible for concerned citizens to identify meaningful trends or specific abuses. Many states require even less transparency. California tracks only five key details about seized property and provides almost no information about how agencies spend their proceeds.Nationwide, many agencies work in near total darkness.
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