United States | News & Politics

7211 readers

383 users here now

founded 4 years ago

MODERATORS

pangyuehung@lemmy.ml

yogthos@lemmy.ml

373

Sex Crime Victim Denied $69,000 Settlement Because Cops Seized Her Abuser's Cash Through Civil Forfeiture (news.yahoo.com)

submitted 1 year ago by DevCat@lemmy.world to c/usa@lemmy.ml

17 comments fedilink hide all child comments

A North Carolina teenager was hoping to get her life back on track after a state judge ordered a man who sexually abused her to pay her $69,000. Instead, she got a nasty surprise.

The local police department had already seized the cash through civil asset forfeiture, and it was already gone. Despite a judge's order, she will get nothing.

The case is a stunning example of the misplaced priorities and perverse incentives that asset forfeiture creates for police—and of how the federal government allows state and local police to evade reforms to stop forfeiture abuse.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] themeatbridge@lemmy.world 100 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah, the money's not gone. We know where it went, and there was no actual crime related to the money.

Civil forfeiture is state-sponsored theft.

[–] SARGEx117@lemmy.world 15 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Don't worry about silly things like rights. You have no rights and no property if the proper authority arbitrarily decides you don't.

[–] sin_free_for_00_days@sopuli.xyz 4 points 1 year ago

"Rights don't exist if someone can take them away" - Carlin