Money Seized Through Asset Forfeiture Returned to Our Client

Our client had thousands of dollars returned to him today after attorney Thomas Kenny successfully beat a civil asset forfeiture case in Bucks County.

Civil asset forfeiture is a highly controversial issue in Pennsylvania. Under Pennsylvania’s existing forfeiture laws, the government can legally take property it claims is connected to criminal activity, regardless of whether the owner of the property is convicted of a crime.

In this case, our client was a passenger in a car which was pulled over by police for speeding. The police conducted an illegal search of the car and found items which they later claimed implicated our client in criminal activity. The police seized our client’s money and continued to hold it, even after the judge ultimately dismissed all of the criminal charges against our client.

Current Pennsylvania law provides very few protections for people whose property the government is trying to forfeit.  — ACLU of PA

When our firm stepped in on behalf of our client, we filed a response to the Government’s argument to keep the money and took the matter to a hearing before a judge in Bucks County. The judge ruled that because the underlying criminal charges had been dismissed and our client’s money could not be proved to be connected to any crime, the government had to release the money back to our client. Needless to say, our client was pleased with the result.

At Kenny, Burns & McGill, clients choose us because we fight for them. If you or a loved one is facing criminal charges, learn more about how we can help. Our attorneys are available 24/7 and take cases throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey.