(TheLastPatriotNews.com) – This may be the most outrageous case of civil forfeiture conducted by the federal government that we’ve ever come across. As most know, civil forfeiture is the process in which law enforcement officers take assets from persons without actually charging those persons with a crime.
Many believe civil forfeiture is the most unAmerican “legal” process in that there is no true due process as the government can just suspect an individual of a crime and seize their funds. Several states have outlawed civil forfeiture after finally acknowledging how outrageous the process is and how law enforcement authorities have abused the process over the years.
In the case below, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has seized nearly $1 million from a family of six – throwing them into poverty and causing them to sell everything they have just to stay alive – without charging them with a crime.
According to Reason Magazine in “The FBI Seized Almost $1 Million From This Family—and Never Charged Them With a Crime“:
“Carl Nelson and Amy Sterner Nelson’s pre-pandemic lives look a lot different than the ones they live now. There are the obvious ways, and then there are the not so obvious ways, like the fact that they sold their house and their car, liquidated their retirement funds, and moved their family of six from a comfortable West Seattle home to Amy’s sister’s basement after the FBI seized almost $1 million from them in May 2020.
“‘We went from living a life where we were both working full-time to provide for our four daughters to really figuring out how we were going to make it month to month,’ Amy tells me. ‘It’s completely changed my belief in fairness.’…
“In April 2020, agents showed up at the Nelsons’ home and informed them that Carl—a former real estate transaction manager for Amazon—was under investigation for allegedly depriving the tech behemoth of his “honest services.” In plainer terms, they accused him of showing favor to certain developers and securing them deals in exchange for illegal kickbacks. ‘That never happened and is exactly why I’ve fought as long and hard as I have,’ he says. ‘It’s that simple.'”
The critical fact is that it’s now February of 2022, and the federal government has never charged Carl with any crime. The family has lost everything, and what little they have, is used to pay attorneys to fight a government with bottomless resources.
Further, a fair share of the money the FBI seized – having seized every penny the Nelson’s had – was money that Amy Nelson had earned and banked as a practicing attorney doing work that had nothing to do with Carl’s work. To the FBI, it didn’t matter – they just seized it all.
Please read “The FBI Seized Almost $1 Million From This Family—and Never Charged Them With a Crime” by clicking HERE and then share your reaction by emailing [email protected]. Do you think civil forfeiture is a fair process or one that should be done away with because of cases like what has happened to the Nelsons?
The FBI seized nearly $1 million from Carl & Amy Nelson—and never charged them with a crime.
To survive, they sold their house & car, liquidated retirement, and moved their family of 6 into Amy's sister's basement.
This story is a nightmare. My latest: https://t.co/DUiLQo0nKp
— Billy Binion (@billybinion) February 18, 2022
