United States v. $35,651.11 (The cash in the account of Schott's Supermarket) F

[Ptarmigan]

United States v. $35,651.11 (The cash in the account of Schott's Supermarket) Feds Seize Family Grocery Store’s Entire Bank Account
http://ij.org/miforf

Can the government use civil forfeiture to take your money when you have done nothing wrong—and then pocket the proceeds?  The IRS thinks so.

For over 30 years, Terry Dehko has successfully run a grocery store in Fraser, Mich., with his daughter Sandy.  In January 2013, without warning, the federal government used civil forfeiture to seize all of the money from the Dehkos’ store bank account (more than $35,000) even though they’ve done absolutely nothing wrong.  Their American Dream is now a nightmare.

Federal civil forfeiture law features an appalling lack of due process:  It empowers the government to seize private property from Americans without ever charging, let alone convicting, them of a crime.  Perversely, the government then pockets the proceeds while providing no prompt way to get a court to review the seizure.

The IRS seizes money without a reason. Scary! 

[marv]

There's a catch 22.

The Institute for Justice (IJ) is a 501C(3) non-profit, non-political law firm aimed at providing pro bono legal support for small mom'n'pop businesses like Schott's Supermarket. IJ exists only on tax deductible donations. Think IRS/TEA Party.

The alleged "crime" was depositing their receipts in a bank account. The state called it "laundering". Never proven, but the state kept the money anyway because of a poorly written law. And the state will use the money to fight the Schotts.

Enter IJ to defend the Schotts. If IJ defends the Schotts against the law, IJ can lose it's 501C(3) status and no longer collect donations because it becomes involved in a political activity.

So IJ has joined the Schotts in their suit as a co-defendant against the state.

We'll see what develops.