NCJ Number
121060
Date Published
1989
Length
25 pages
Annotation
The House Subcommittee on Crime asked the General Accounting Office (GAO) to recommend ways to save time and money in the forfeiture and disposal process for assets seized from criminals, the proceeds from which finance Department of Justice and Customs Service seizure programs, anti-drug projects, and other Federal needs.
Abstract
GAO suggested that the U.S. Code and public laws be amended to allow Customs and Justice to administratively forfeit uncontested cash seizures, thereby shortening the processing time from an average of 13 months to four months. Contested seizures would be resolved judicially, leaving due process rights unaffected. Second, the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Treasury should ensure that all forfeited cash is transferred from holding accounts to the Asset Forfeiture Fund within 30 days of a forfeiture order; they should give amounts over $100,000 priority, transferring them within a week. Finally, disposal of forfeited real estate would be more efficient and profitable if Justice would establish a quick release policy, returning the property to innocent co-owners or lienholders. The law should be changed, assuring the title industry that the government guarantees clear title for forfeited properties. 8 tables, 1 footnote, 3 appendixes.