NCJ Number
122081
Date Published
1989
Length
20 pages
Annotation
The House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight asked the General Accounting Office (GAO) to assess how effectively the Customs Service manages its non-cash seized assets, such as jewelry, real estate, vehicles, boats, airplanes, electronics, and textiles, the revenues from which are used to help fund law enforcement efforts.
Abstract
Calculating Customs' returns from its seized-asset program is difficult because of incomplete information on lien costs and revenues from fines and penalties. If calculated solely on contractor operations, Customs broke even during the period from June 1, 1987 through June 30, 1989, and lost money in the first nine months of fiscal 1989. But if consideration is given to the property value transferred to public use by Federal, State, and local agencies, the Customs program netted a gain of nearly $10 million. This net gain of two cents on the dollar can be improved. Customs should reduce its remission expenses (those incurred by returning seized property to the owner) by using "constructive seizure," whereby the owner would physically retain the property but post a bond and fulfill certain conditions concerning sale and maintenance. Second, Customs should dispose of low-value property more quickly and raise the authorized dollar level to reduce custodial periods and related expenses. Finally, in order to minimize fraud, waste, and abuse, Customs must improve seizure case cost accounting, set minimum bid levels for sales of high-value property, link contract fees to timely and economical property disposals, and monitor key internal controls. 3 tables, 5 figures, 1 note.