Statement of Laurie E. Ekstrand Before the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, March 19, 1996: Asset Forfeiture: Historical Perspective on Asset Forfeiture Issues

• NCJ Number: 163090
• Author(s): L E Ekstrand
• Date Published: 1996
• Length: 14 pages
• Corporate Author: US Government Accountability Office
• Sale Source: Azimuth Inc.
• Publication Type: Presentation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

The government has had forfeiture authority for more than 200 years but has only recently used this authority extensively; law enforcement actions resulted in an increase from $33 million to almost $2 billion in the seized property inventories of the Departments of Justice and the Treasury between 1979 and 1994.

Abstract

In January 1990, the Comptroller General determined that seized and forfeited assets were a high-risk area, because it had been characterized by mismanagement and internal control weaknesses. In June 1991, the General Accounting Office (GAO) recommended consolidating the management and disposition of all noncash seized properties and estimated that program administration costs could be reduced 11 percent annually. In March 1993, the Justice Office of Inspector General reported mismanagement by contractors that were maintaining and disposing of property. Audits from 1992 through 1994 revealed that Customs has inadequate safeguards over seized property, as well as incomplete and inaccurate accounting and reporting. Customs is taking steps to address these problems, but further policy and procedural changes are needed. Figure and list of related reports