Originally Posted by
catocony
I've taken hundreds of international flights and have not once seen CBP or predecessor agencies stop anyone and confiscate anything on an outbound flight. No one I know has ever been stopped or searched, and I've never seen anyone else stopped or searched. So, it isn't very common at all.
Regardless, the OP never indicated this was an outbound search, so we should assume it was a standard inbound immigration and customs check. The fact he was held for an hour and then let go pretty much confirms that since the plane wouldn't wait for someone.
The story, as described, doesn't hold water IMHO.
It may not be common, but a few years ago at DTW, I was stopped on the jetway outbound to Asia, by Treasury officials and queried about cash I was carrying, etc. Went on for about 5 minutes though I wasn't searched. They were being selective about who they were pulling aside and questioning, so I presume there was some tip they were pursuing that day.
However, I do concur that the OP's story is really really strange and there seem to be some information gaps and conflicts. I also assumed he was inbound into the USA, not outbound.
As to what the OP should do...well, if it were me, I'd probably be heading in person over to the CBP regional office to try to get the cash released. Saving the lawyer for Plan B. However, without knowing the home country of the OP and his visa or residency status in the USA, it's hard to say. (and yes, country of origin could make a difference in how CBP views him and his story.)