Location: DE Rt. 1 northbound at the Christiana Mall. Newark, DE
Date of Occurrence: Saturday, August 14, 2010 at 3:05 p.m.
Defendant: Mark Pugliese, 41, Vail, AZ
Resume: The Delaware State Police seized cash from an Arizona man after he was stopped for a traffic violation.
The incident occurred on Saturday, August 14, 2010 as a trooper on routine patrol on DE. Rt. 1 stopped a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu after the driver failed to use his turn signal while making a lane change. After the trooper made contact with the driver, later identified as the defendant Mark Pugliese of Vail, Arizona, he asked for and was granted permission to search his vehicle. Upon searching the trunk of the vehicle, the trooper located a duffel bag which contained $60,000 in cash that Pugliese could not explain the ownership of. He was then detained and transported to State Police Troop 2 in Glasgow. Upon arriving at the troop Pugliese was found to also be in possession of approximately 2.1 grams of powder cocaine. He was then arrested and charged with one count of Possession of Cocaine. Pugliese was arraigned at JP. Court 20 and released after posting $1000.00 cash bail. The $60,000.00 was seized for forfeiture.
Date of Occurrence: Saturday, August 14, 2010 at 3:05 p.m.
Defendant: Mark Pugliese, 41, Vail, AZ
Resume: The Delaware State Police seized cash from an Arizona man after he was stopped for a traffic violation.
The incident occurred on Saturday, August 14, 2010 as a trooper on routine patrol on DE. Rt. 1 stopped a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu after the driver failed to use his turn signal while making a lane change. After the trooper made contact with the driver, later identified as the defendant Mark Pugliese of Vail, Arizona, he asked for and was granted permission to search his vehicle. Upon searching the trunk of the vehicle, the trooper located a duffel bag which contained $60,000 in cash that Pugliese could not explain the ownership of. He was then detained and transported to State Police Troop 2 in Glasgow. Upon arriving at the troop Pugliese was found to also be in possession of approximately 2.1 grams of powder cocaine. He was then arrested and charged with one count of Possession of Cocaine. Pugliese was arraigned at JP. Court 20 and released after posting $1000.00 cash bail. The $60,000.00 was seized for forfeiture.
I see theft is alive and well.
ReplyDeleteCome on now, stopped for not using a signal light to make a lane change - has to be more to it than that.
ReplyDelete2:44 you have no clue! Your prolly the same one that had negative remarks on the 13th when DSP seized 150K. This money is Dirty and why didn't he have a reasonable execuse for the carrying the money. UHHHH Because it's dirty. Please leave the police work to the police and keep your comments to yourself. Good Job boys keep seizing that green!!! Oh yea he had cocaine too moron. Yea I would carry that much money with me, NOT! Only if I was dropping it off to someone for illegal goods.
ReplyDeleteI agree.
ReplyDeleteSounds a bit funny to me. First he was pulled for "not signaling" during a lane switch...BS. Then the Trooper just out of the blue thought he should search the car with no mention of a reason behind it such as the odor of alcohol or drugs? Sounds like they knew who this guy was all along....if he ad not had drugs and said it was his savings would he have been able to keep the money ? I am unsure of how that would work. Obviously he cant after they located drugs on him.
ReplyDeleteI want to know where he got the $1000 cash bail money if they seized all his cash?
ReplyDeleteAlso, why was the bail amount so low?
He was set up by an informant....and the cocaine was worth less than $200...so the government gets to take $60,000 from someone because they were in possession of a small (and yeah, that was a SMALL amount...) and don't forget...its not illegal to carry cash, no matter how much there is....I'm VERY sure that if the suspect had said "it's my entire life's savings and I took it out of the bank because I was afraid my bank was going to be closed by the government" (and a BUNCH of banks HAVE been closed this year), the officer would have said "yeah, sounds ok to me".....lol...now, I'm NOT so naive as to think this guy was up to no good, but to take 60 grand from someone because he was in possession of nothing but a couple of hundred dollars worth of cocaine sounds a bit strong to me, especially sine he hasn't been CONVICTED of ANYTHING, not even a traffic violation...and 4;06 --- remember that document (you MAY have heard of it) called the Constitution? No where in it does it condone confiscation of property without trial, or assuming money is "dirty" beacuase there is a lot of it....my grandfather kept almost $100,00 in cash becuase he didn't trust banks.. He wasn't a drug dealer and the money wasn't dirty...Thank god he didn't encounter YOU, with your all-knowing experience and wisdom...
ReplyDeleteHope he makes it back for his court date. Sounds like he's got alot of explaining to do to someone. He may have been better off not posting his bail...
ReplyDeleteOK Dumb A$$es. Yes they would have taken the money regardless of the cocaine. You all have no clue as to what the hell goes on. You all live in a bubble. Bet your father didn't carry a 100K around in his vehicle. Further, there is no such thing as a minor traffic violation. Show me in the traffic law book the section that says "Minor". The legislators put laws on the books for Law Enforcement to enforce. And yes not signaling your intention to change lanes is a violation. The courts can aleays give the money back during a hearing. But you can't go back and seize it later, because it will eb gone. They seize the money and file for forfeiture. The defendant has the opportunity, during a court hearing to justify the currency. If he is unable to, as he was unable to during the stop, then the money will most likely be forfeited. There is more investigation that goes into these cases than you think. The agency will conduct wage hsitory checks and other background investigatiions. If a judge finds that the currency is ligit then it will be returned to him. Kepp up the good work "road dogs", your efforts are not going unnoticed. I suppose it would be O.K. for for someone on the terroist watch list to travel out roads with thousands of dollars (you know where that money is going). But you wont know until further investigation is conducted. I'll get off the soapbox now because with some people you are just wasting time. Some people will never understand what Cops do and cops will continue to have to justify it wevery time they fart.
ReplyDeleteFurther you do not need a reason to "ASK" consent. Usually the cop has a suspicion and will ask. But regardless he/she does not need a reason to ASK for consent. Need not be a reason to ask, hell just don't grant it and get on up the road.
ReplyDelete5:11...dumb asses??? lol...what if he won it it a card game?? A casino? THAT ain't gonna show up in a "wage history"...can he say that?? I wonder, since you brought it up, how many times the State has given anyone money back?? Remember the scandal some years ago about the police confiscating vehicles because the defendant had some pot on him?? and I'm talking SMALL amounts...So, the STATE gets to keep your car because you were smoking a joint? Remember the $15,000 motorcycle confiscated by the police (it was in the local papers) and sold TO ANOTHER POLICE OFFICER for a few hundred dollars??? Those are the kinds of behavior that I worry about and make me question the motives behind these "confiscations" ...Florida is BIG on this kind of thing, too. I remember the guy (also in the national news) who lost his YACHT (!!) because the police found half a joint in the trash can of the ships cook !! NOT the owner --- THE COOK!! You think THAT is right?? He also appealed the confiscation of his yacht and guess what??? Yep--- he lost. State got a million dollar boat for finding about $5 worth of pot...Wow...thats justice?? And yes, there are DEGREES of violations...even cops admit it..I'm NOT gonna get a warning for 88 mph in a 55 zone, but WILL usually not even get bothered about changing lanes without a signal...especially when EVERY DAY I see our finest do it with impunity...must be a minor issue...lol...now take a chill pill....but don't get your car taken for it...but if you do, you know you can "appeal" it. Thats like asking the Mafia to reconsider your weekly "protection" fee....
ReplyDeleteI wonder how much he was getting paid to mule that money to a destination to pick up dope. He probably thought it was a lot but nothing to the cartels.
ReplyDeleteIf he won it in a legal card game in a casino then he would have a receipt would he not. Don't you think he would have mentioned something about that then the police could have investigated it. Now if what you say is true about losing a yacht or a car over a joint and that it then no I dont agree with that. I feel there may be much more to those stories. No judge would grant that at least not here. Got to be a information from a wire tap or something else they had. This guy in this case has shown all the tel tale signs of muling money for drugs. Plain and simple. Further there are rules in place now where police officers may not buy seized vehicles unless it is at a public auction where everyone has a shot.
ReplyDeleteHe should have exercised his right to remain silent and not offered any reason for having the money. That's what attorneys are for. Too many people today will answer any question asked. When ever speaking with any law enforcement officer the best policy is to provide your documentation (license, registration and ins.) and keep your mouth shut. If they have probable cause to search you, your car or home, then they can get a search warrant from a judge. This is your right under the CONSTITUTION.
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