Civil Asset Forfeiture is legalized armed robbery.
Initially created to take down drug lords, civil asset forfeiture has morphed into an excuse by federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to confiscate cash and other property regardless of whether a person is charged with a crime. The Indiana Supreme Court recently ruled that the government must prove it is ‘entitled’ to keep the seized property, even if the owner was not charged with a crime. Furthermore, the court also stated in its ruling that government victims have no right to use their seized funds to hire an attorney. Civil asset forfeiture (CAF) is a civil matter, not criminal, which means there is no constitutional right to an attorney.