The Government Doesn’t Need to Charge You With a Crime to Seize Your Assets and Property

From The Blaze.com (Sept. 30):

Did you know you don’t actually need to be charged with a crime for the government to seize your financial and property assets?

Under U.S. law, it can take only the suspicion of a crime to turn lives upside down and seize the property of innocent citizens.

The civil asset forfeiture law allows government agencies like the IRS or the Department of Justice to confiscate anyone’s property without obtaining criminal charges against them.

Originally intended to seize the assets of money launderers and drug dealers, the law’s low requirement threshold has allowed government agencies to incorrectly identify someone as a possible suspect in a crime take their assets. It can take more than a year for an innocent person who has had their business, property or finances seized to be cleared of wrongdoing, during which time they can lose everything, said Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), who is working to reform the law.  [read more]

Yea, that is kind of unnerving. Almost unlimited power for the gov’t. I hope the representative gets his bill passed through Congress. The question is will Obama sign the bill into law?