This has led to a dramatic rise in the amount of seizures that occur, despite any legislation being introduced to keep it under control. Since there are virtually no laws to control this epidemic, the Justice Department and Treasury have been able to line their bank accounts with money that is not rightfully theirs. In 2014, for the first time in history, the federal government deposited more than $5 billion into their bank accounts, which was more than the total amount that burglars stole throughout the …show more content…
According to the Washington Post, an examination of over 400 federal court cases where people challenged seizures and got some money back, the majority were black, Hispanic or another minority. During a stop for a minor traffic violation, Mandrel Stuart, a 35-year-old African-American male, had $17,550 seized by police even though he was not charged with a crime. Stuart was a restaurant owner who used cash to pay the bills, but lost possession of the restaurant after police refused to return the seized