For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 22

5

Things Lawyers Should Know
When Defending Against
Civil Asset Forfeiture

L

aw enforcement agencies in Pennsylvania aggressively pursue civil forfeiture against ordinary citizens and realize substantial revenues
annually for their own exclusive use. The Pennsylvania Controlled Substances Forfeitures Act1 authorizes the seizure and forfeiture of cash, vehicles, real property, and other private property that
is used to facilitate a violation of the Controlled
Substances, Drug, Device, and Cosmetic Act.2 After
the entry of a forfeiture order, the District Attorney or Attorney General, depending on which office has jurisdiction, may retain or sell the offend-

22

For The Defense | Vol. 2, Issue 3

Louis S. Rulli and Susanna R. Greenberg

ing property and retain all forfeiture proceeds. In
the four most recent years for which forfeiture
data is publicly available,3 law enforcement agencies statewide received $75,620,063.66 in forfeiture income related to narcotics-related offenses.
Most of this income came from forfeited cash, but
it also included income from civil forfeitures of
4,217 vehicles and 273 real estate parcels.
Aggressive civil forfeiture practices exist in
many counties throughout the Commonwealth.
The five counties deriving the most forfeiture income over this four-year period are, in descending



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017

Table of Contents
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 1
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 2
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - Table of Contents
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 4
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 5
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 6
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 7
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 8
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