Charles Clarke had $11,000 taken from him by the DEA at an airport but was never charged with a crime.
A college student has teamed up with the Institute for Justice to reclaim $11,000 that was taken from him at an airport by the DEA. University of Central Florida student Charles Clarke was never charged with committing a crime, but law enforcement officials have kept his savings using the practice of civil forfeiture.
Between late 2013 and early 2014, Clarke had been spending time with relatives in Ohio while his mother, with whom he had been living, was in the process of moving to a new apartment in Florida. Before he left his Florida home, he decided to bring his entire savings with him. His savings totaled $11,000 in cash, saved up over five years by collecting money from various jobs, gifts from relatives, financial aid, and educational benefits received due to his mother’s status as a disabled veteran.
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7 comments:
Just give the kid his money back and be done with it. Oh, yeah, and apologize for "legally" stealing it in the first place.
Keep the money donate towards cancer. It wasn't his everyone knows it. He would have produce receipts for the money and it would be given back. Let's move on folks
" collecting money" guilty. If he said "earning money" innocent
9:36,9:37 Really? It says how he got the money. How would you like to have your money stolen by the government (besides taxes)?
We need a.good lawsuit to put a little more discretion in asset forfeiture.
ANOTHER example of someone who THOUGHT "I'm not doing anything wrong, so I don't need to worry", learning the truth --- you don't HAVE to be doing anything "wrong" to have the power and authority of armed government agents to, not only commit armed robbery of an otherwise INNOCENT citizen, but have the entire system tell him its okay by them and you can get it back if you will just PROVE how, over 5 years, you managed to save all that money. And prove it to a level of satisfaction that hardly anyone can achieve or accomplish (want to fly from Maryland to Arizona a few times, spend a few days there, hire an attorney, and HOPE TO GOD the GOVERNMENT says "oh yeah, our bad, sorry about the robbery and stuff".
THAT is the thinking behind the civil forfeitures. No one has the time or money to fight. The police right here in Wicomico County were doing it on a HUGE scale until the smell attracted too much attention.
We used to hang (or just shoot them on the spot) highway robbers. But, when they wear a gun and a badge, what do you do??
Remember, JUST LAST YEAR, the police took, as in "give me that and shut up or die!! (as in "comply or die"), SIX BILLION dollars in cash and property (say it again and let it roll slowly off your tongue) from citizens. WITHOUT CHARGES OR TRIAL!! I know it sounds unbelievable, but it's true....
Everyone who thinks our Founding Fathers would be good with THAT, stand up and cheer!!!
The rest of you? Keep buying supplies.
charge him and keep it or give it back with interest and punish those that are involved with this dumb sh!t. where is the accountability these days?
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