Man accused of smuggling cash into United States at border
 

Yes, more deadly cash being smuggled in to the US. The Feds are just great at inventing crimes, especially ones that allow them to confiscate peoples valuable property. Given the nearly daily incidents of federal, state, and local LEOs outright stealing money from people I would hide anything I was carrying as well. There wasn't much detail in this story but I wonder how this will turn out given the recent SCOTUS case dealing with cash seizures for non-declaration only did not go so well for the DOJ.


Man accused of smuggling cash into United States at border
http://bismarcktribune.com/news/stat...tml?mode=story

The article is quite weak. I've taken more than 10 large across the border and declared it. The paperwork was more trouble than it was worth. All I had to of was count out the cashing front of someone and they signed a form. No questions about the source it destination were asked.

This happened two years and five months ago.

Why on earth is it news now?

How do you think money from illicit activity gets back into the U.S.? Don't confuse "seizure" with the outright loss of the currency. If the owner can show legitimacy, most likely he'll pay a penalty, get it back and wont be charged with a crime.

Over $10k in unreported cash is almost always criminal in some fashion (although perhaps simply under the table work.)

Then prove it. I also think your statement is way off the mark. People of certain cultures carry and use cash far more often then westerners. My guess, based on his name, was the guy was from SE Asia(Cambodian?).

I suggest you research asset forfeitures in the US. You do not need to be charged with a crime to have cash seized and forfeited. The government only needs to claim that it is illicit, it is then up to you to sue to get it back.

Vietnamese. I know many Cambodians and Vietnamese who keep all their gold and cash in home safes...not uncommon to have half a million in gold, Euros, and dollars stashed away. Not much trust of banks here.

We all know that cash in Amerika is dirty but in SE Asia....it's preferable. Not uncommon at all. Poor guy got caught up in many of the stupidity games played in NA on a daily basis.

The indictment was probably just handed down; the government decides to wait sometimes, when it meets their investigative needs. This guy has a conviction for conspiracy to distribute ecstasy from 2003, so I imagine this was drug money.

I'm somewhat familiar with asset forfeiture. If you can show legitimacy, normally the charges are dropped against the defendant and the currency.

Getting the charges dropped isn't even half the battle.

Getting the "forfeited" assets returned is often a painful process, somewhat like trying to get your confiscated, uh, I mean "voluntarily surrendered" aloe vera gel back from the TSA clerk who just tossed it into the trash without so much as blinking.

Yep. Until you prove you're innocent of anything, you're pretty much guilty.
simple really

If they seized the cash, you had it and it wasn't delcared.

What other proof of guilt would you like?

As for the currency, that may be an uphill battle if you can't prove it was lawfully obtained.

Depends on whether you're talking about "seized" or "forfeited" assets. "Seized" is simply the withholding, "forfeited" is the adjudicated dispostion. Assuming you are referring to forfeiture, yes it's an uphill battle. Unfortunately, some people caught up in these seizures are honest, law abiding people who distrust governments because of their personal history. They seen corruption all their lives and expect the same thing when they come to the U.S.

Why should someone need to prove something is lawful? It's up the government to prove something is unlawful. You know, that old "innocent until proven guilty in a court of law" nugget.