the feds sent the Dehkos a letter saying that “no violations [of banking laws] were identified.”
And then, nine months later, the IRS emptied the Dehkos' bank acount of $35,000 without warning.
In the Dehkos' case, the IRS used civil asset forfeiture, which requires no criminal action or proof of guilt on the part of a property owner to seize that property...This, ladies and gentlemen, is legalized theft. The 4th Amendment of the Constitution reads...
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.How can the Feds get away with such a clear violation of the 4th Amendment?
technically, it's a legal action against the property itself.I see. So the feds are punishing the property, not the people who own it. Makes perfect sense.
Not surprisingly, it's a hugely lucrative practice for government agencies and a hugely controversial one for everybody else.I bet.
But the use of asset forfeiture, both civil and criminal, soared at the federal level under the current administration, growing from $500 million in 2003, to $1.8 billion in 2011.Surprise!
If this doesn't piss you off, I don't know what will, because if this can happen to the Dehkos, it can happen to any of us.
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