Entries by Sebastian Rucci

Civil Asset Forfeiture: Grading the States

in ,

Civil asset forfeiture is a unique area of law in which the government charges specific property of being guilty of wrongdoing, rather than a person. Perhaps because the property is accused of wrongdoing, and not the person, governments often place lower standards of proof needed to forfeit the property. The procedures used by the federal […]

Police seize property and cash in questionable raids

in

Michigan laws allow police to seize assets even when no criminal charges are filed. Study says Michigan is among the worst in protecting citizens from unlawful seizures by police. Police defend seizing homes%2C cash%2C cars%2C insist forfeitures help fight crime%2C stop drug trafficking. State%2C federal lawmakers introducing new bills to curb %22abusive%22 property seizures by […]

Rand Paul: How feds can legally steal your money

in ,

Editor’s Note: Rand Paul, a Republican, is a U.S. senator from Kentucky. Tim Walberg, a Republican, is a U.S. representative from Michigan. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the authors. CNN — There are many reasons why the Internal Revenue Service is perhaps the least-loved agency in America – a tax […]

Property Seized, Money Taken – But No Crime

in

Editor’s Note: One of the gentleman, Wally Kowalski, was arrested and charged hours after this story ran. The unedited piece is below. Wladyslaw “Wally” Kowalski is a Ph.D. design engineer who lives in Van Buren County. In September, Kowalski came home to find his residence surrounded by police armed with a warrant. Officers searched the […]

Taken

in

On a bright Thursday afternoon in 2007, Jennifer Boatright, a waitress at a Houston bar-and-grill, drove with her two young sons and her boyfriend, Ron Henderson, on U.S. 59 toward Linden, Henderson’s home town, near the Texas-Louisiana border. They made the trip every April, at the first signs of spring, to walk the local wildflower […]