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United States

Stop Seizing Assets of Innocent People!

  • by: Ann W
  • recipient: U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Department of Justice, United States

Did you know there is a practice called "asset forfeiture" allowing law enforcement authorities to take hold of property and cash from people who are arrested; even if they are never found guilty in a court of law? This means, you can simply be accused of wrongdoing and lose some, if not all of your assets, and when you are found innocent, your belongings are not returned!

Known as the Equitable Sharing Program, this practice was temporarily ceased by The Justice Department in December 2015, but has since been reinstated. Some believe the seizing of assets is simply being used to raise funds for law enforcement expenses with no regard for justice, and as a result, innocent citizens are in essence being robbed.

In fact, a Washington Post article points out the amount seized in 2014 alone was more than 5 billion dollars, while the amount actually lost due to burglaries was less than 4 billion.

Please ask U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch to end the Equitable Sharing Program once and for all!

read petition letter ▾

Attn: U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Department of Justice


We (the undersigned) are disappointed to learn the Equitable Sharing Program has been reinstated. 


Studies show a "meteoric, exponential increase" in the use of the practice." Even when a citizen is not found guilty of a crime, their assets are kept and funneled into coffers to fund law enforcement operations. With all due respect, this is an unjust practice that is beneath the dignity of The Department of Justice not to mention the Bill of Rights.


Under the Fourth Amendment, American citizens have a right to not be subjected to such illegal search and seizures. And keeping the assets of an innocent person should be considered unlawful seizures.


Please cease this practice immediately.


Sincerely,

Update #18 years ago
Great News for Nebraska! On April 19, 2016, Governor Pete Ricketts passed Bill LB 1106 that calls for the elimination of civil forfeiture unless charges are "filed and criminal convictions are secured!" We still have a long way to go, so please support the ban of civil forfeiture for every state in the nation by signing and sharing this petition on Facebook and Twitter!
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