This article is the story of a friend of mine.
Is civil asset forfeiture being abused by law enforcement in the United States?
I had what I thought was a good friend. We’d been friends for several years. We shared hangar, and spent hours a day chatting.
He is an airline pilot, and — or so I thought — ran a flight school. (Turned out flight school is entirely owned an operated in his wife’s name, but that’s a whole other story).
He would occasionally fly charter jobs and such, and once went on one such trip using a customer of mine’s airplane, a twin-engined 8-seat airplane.
Roughly a week later I saw him… he drove across the ramp to the hangar and called me. “Chris, get in, I gotta talk to you.”
I got into the passenger seat, and he hands me an empty evidence bag. WTF.
Begins telling me his story when his wife walks up, and he stashes the bag under the seat. After they make their smalltalk, we drive off, and the bag comes back out.
I right away away assume incorrectly and say to him “Drugs! Are you crazy!” And he replies, “No, it was full of money.” He then proceeded to tell me how he’d flown to Mexico, and brought in an undocumented group, and was caught when he landed – Texas or Arizona, I don’t recall. Told me he spent 12 hours in handcuffs in a cell with not-so-nice people, fearing for his life, and frequent attempted interrogations, to which he apparently only replied “lawyer”.
He was utterly relieved that they let him go, and (I believe) gave the money back to him.
Shortly thereafter, I discovered his wife had bought the entire hangar complex, and this gem of a witch evicted me. Without notice. Changed my door locks.
I was in the middle of performing a detailed inspection of the aircraft used.
I struck a deal with the only other semi-viable place on the airport to finish the inspection — a T-hangar where I could wheel half the airplane in, and work half in the sun and half in the shade.
After about two weeks, the Feds roll in. ICE. CBP. FAA.
And seize the aircraft.
As it’s still quite disassembled, I’m told to get it into flying condition, and that the Federal Government would pay me to do so.
I complied. And submitted my request for payment.
And never got a dime, nor an answer.
The owner of the airplane spent a small fortune on attorneys, and eventually got the airplane back — with a blown engine. Engine overhaul would cost him maybe another $50,000.
I did have one small moment of joy. After several weeks of the government shutdown, I texted the DEA agent, and asked him: “So, how does it feel to work for the government and not get paid?”
He called back. And didn’t think it was funny.
He eventually did get paid. I still lost my life savings.
BREAKING NEWS: All Americans Will Lose Their Home, Income And Power By March 17, 2025
Additional- Can the government seize your house, car and cash, even if you’ve done nothing wrong? Unfortunately, the shocking answer is yes! Steve Forbes on civil asset forfeitures, and on how this process is being grossly abused and why it should be promptly ruled unconstitutional.
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