This text initially appeared on WND.com
Visitor by publish by Bob Unruh
What occurred to my firm shouldn’t occur to anybody.’
A household jewellery enterprise that misplaced $42,000 when police in Indianapolis merely took it and saved it’s getting it again.
The Institute for Justice has confirmed the cash is being returned to the small jewellery operations of Henry and Minh Cheng.
A buyer earlier this 12 months despatched them $42,000 money as fee, nevertheless it by no means arrived as a result of “Indianapolis police seized their parcel and tried to take the cash with out alleging any particular crime,” the IJ reported.
“Now, after the Chengs defended their property from civil forfeiture with the Institute for Justice (IJ), Marion County prosecutors have agreed to return their cash. The Chengs’ class-action countersuit, aimed toward ending the unconstitutional seizures, will proceed to maneuver ahead,” the authorized staff defined.
“”Indiana had no foundation to forfeit the Chengs’ cash, and so it’s solely proper that the federal government has agreed to return it,” mentioned IJ lawyer Marie Miller. “However many different individuals are affected by the state’s practices of taking cash just because it goes by means of Indiana and failing to determine against the law that might justify the forfeiture. The counterclaims goal to finish this abuse of civil forfeiture not only for Henry and Minh, however for everybody.”
Henry Cheng mentioned he was happy.
“What occurred to my firm shouldn’t occur to anybody. Indiana ought to cease making an attempt to steal from law-abiding residents by seizing property and determining later whether or not there’s any foundation for preserving it,” he mentioned.
The IJ documented now, “For years, police have seized money on the busy processing middle, and the Marion County prosecutor has filed civil forfeiture actions on behalf of the State of Indiana to maintain the seized cash. This locations individuals like Henry and Minh within the place of getting to show their innocence in a court docket lots of or 1000’s of miles from their dwelling in California.”
The authorized staff famous that Indiana launched proceedings towards greater than $2.5 million since 2022.
“To get their a reimbursement and to finish these predatory practices, Henry and Minh teamed up earlier this 12 months with the Institute for Justice, a nonprofit regulation agency that defends individuals from abusive civil forfeiture nationwide,” the IJ mentioned.
The Chengs began their wholesale jewellery provide many years in the past, and journey throughout the nation to serve retail outlets.
“Early this 12 months, they made a bulk sale to a retailer in Virginia, who was gradual to submit fee. A number of months after the sale, in April, the retailer knowledgeable the couple that she might pay promptly with money. Henry and Minh agreed to simply accept that type of fee,” IJ mentioned.
The retailer shipped the money utilizing FedEx, however the parcel was despatched by means of the hub the corporate has in Indianapolis, and there a police officer grabbed the package deal and shoved it in entrance of a Ok-9.
“The canine alerted, permitting the police to get a warrant to open the parcel. After an officer discovered the money within the parcel (and with out discovering any contraband), the Marion County prosecutor filed a civil-forfeiture motion to maintain the cash,” the IJ mentioned.
The prosecutors claimed the cash was the results of “a violation of a felony statute.”
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