Too much cash? Give it to the government
By Sean Aqui | Related entries in Drugs, Law, Money, NewsAbout a year ago, I wrote about the case of a motorist who was found carrying a large sum of money. The police seized it, arguing that it just had to be drug money. They were allowed to keep it without ever bothering to prove an underlying crime, thus establishing the cherished legal principle that police can take your money anytime they like as long as the sum is large enough and the defendant is poor enough.
Now it’s happened again, this time in Michigan. But there’s a twist: the search that uncovered the money was illegal, which turns this into a case with broader civil-liberties implications.
No matter.
The Michigan Supreme Court on Tuesday denied the appeal of a motorist who had to forfeit nearly $181,000 that was found in a backpack during a traffic stop, even though the money was seized illegally….
Tamika Smith, who was stopped by a Michigan State Police trooper, lost the money when a judge ruled prosecutors presented enough other evidence to show it was intended to buy illicit drugs.
(continued over at Midtopia)
This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 18th, 2007 and is filed under Drugs, Law, Money, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
